Illinois hometown celebrates Team USA’s Tessa Janecke’s winning goal in Women’s Ice Hockey Championship

ORANGEVILLE, Ill. (WTVO) — Orangeville native Tessa Janecke scored the winning goal in the U.S. vs Canada Women’s Ice Hockey Championship on Sunday.

With only 2:54 left in overtime, she struck the winning goal for Team USA to claim its 11th title.

Janecke’s former softball coach, Lon Scheuerell, said, “It’s something that now is has been a big conversation piece in Orangeville, knowing that we have someone like her who’s on the national stage who is doing the best thing she can do, basically, in her sport.”

Orangeville has a population of less than 800 people, but Janecke’s rising star is putting them on the map.

“It’s such a cool thing for our town, but I think it’s just even cooler knowing the kind of kid that Tessa is like she deserves, that she has put in the work to put Orangeville on the map. And we’re so incredibly proud of her,” said her former neighbor, Julie Cahoon.

Many who knew Janecke when she was growing up said they knew she was bound for greatness.

“Tessa was the most dedicated kid and everything that she did, she was consistently working on whatever craft it was that she was working on at the time,” said Cahoon.

“Early on, you could see that there was no moment that was gonna be too big for her,” Scheuerell said.

Many former teachers still watch her play, and said they are proud of what she has accomplished so far.

“To have her on that stage and to come through and win the gold medal for the United States and represent, just knowing the person she is and all the effort she put in,” Scheuerell said. “And she definitely deserves that.”