The No. 6 Penn State women’s hockey team will be practicing without its captain during parts of November and December.

Senior forward Tessa Janecke has been named to the Team USA Rivalry Series roster.

Tessa will be back with Team USA this November and December for the next Rivalry Series!#WeAre https://t.co/Al5W4j4DuR

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) October 21, 2025

This isn’t Janecke’s first time representing Team USA. In fact, she has played in three International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships. She won two gold medals, and in 2025, she scored the golden goal.

This marks the fourth year in a row that Janecke will be a part of the Rivalry Series. Last year, she tallied three points during the series.

The series will open in Cleveland on November 6. Then, there will be a game in Buffalo on November 8, followed by two games on December 10 and 13. Both of the final games will be in Edmonton.

Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they don’t play any games concurrently with the Rivalry Series, so it is unlikely Janecke will miss any games with the team.

Janecke and the Nittany Lions look to continue their hot start to the season with a two-game series against Lindenwood. The first game will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 24.