BOSTON, Mass. - March 5, 2025 - Atlantic Hockey America is proud to recognize its outstanding individual achievers from this year's competition. The 2024-25 Meghan Agosta Player of the Year, Vicki Bendus Forward of the Year, Molly Byrne Best Defenseman, Brianne McLaughlin Goaltender of the Year, Nicole Hensley Rookie of the Year, Best Defensive Forward, Individual Sportsmanship Award, Scholar Athlete of the Year, and Coach of the Year, along with the AHA Scoring and Goaltending Champions have been selected.

MEGHAN AGOSTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
VICKI BENDUS FORWARD OF THE YEAR AWARD
AHA SCORING CHAMPION
Tessa Janecke, Jr., F, Penn State (Orangeville, Ill.)
Penn State junior Tessa Janecke is the dual winner of the Vicki Bendus Forward of the Year Award and the Meghan Agosta Player of the Year Award. Janecke led Atlantic Hockey with 48 points on 21 goals and 27 assists during the regular season, and after a four-point weekend in the semifinals, skates into this weekend's championship game with 52 points on 24 goals and 28 assists. The junior forward opened the 2024-25 campaign with an eight-game point streak, then orchestrated a career-best 12-game point streak that went from Nov. 15 to Jan. 11. She then put together another eight-game point streak from Jan. 18 - Feb. 14. In total, Janecke has recorded at least one point in 31 of 36 games so far this season. With her goal against Syracuse on Saturday, Jan. 18, Janecke became the all-time Penn State program career leader in points, and now boasts 152 career points on 63 goals and 89 assists. Janecke also took home the AHA Scoring Championship this season as the conference's points leader in AHA contests during the regular season. The Orangeville, Ill. native tallied 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists in 20 league games. Janecke is the first CHA/AHA skater to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors and conference scoring titles since Robert Morris' Brittany Howard took home both awards in 2016-17 and 2017-18. 

Finalists for Player of the Year:
Kendall Butze, Jr., D, Penn State (Cleveland, Ohio)
Katie DeSa, Jr., G, Penn State (Pawcatuck, Conn.)

Finalists for Forward of the Year:
Vanessa Upson, Sr., F, Mercyhurst (Stoney Creek, Ont.)
Katelyn Roberts, Jr., F, Penn State (Chanhassen, Minn.)

MOLLY BYRNE BEST DEFENSEMAN AWARD
Kendall Butze, Jr., D, Penn State (Cleveland, Ohio)
Penn State junior Kendall Butze is this year's selection for the Molly Byrne Best Defenseman Award. In conference play during the regular season, Butze led AHA defensemen and ranked seventh among all skaters with 18 points on three goals and 15 assists. She also finished league play with a rating of +15, which ranked second among AHA blueliners. The Cleveland, Ohio native enters Saturday's title game with 25 points and 22 assists on the season, with her 22 helpers leading AHA defensemen and ranking tied for sixth nationally among defensemen. Butze has also added 32 blocks and 82 shots on goal so far in 2024-25.

Finalists for Best Defenseman:
Emma Pickering, So., D, RIT (Fishers, Ind.)
Lyndie Lobdell, Gr., D, Penn State (Aurora, Ill.)

BRIANNE McLAUGHLIN GOALTENDER OF THE YEAR
AHA GOALTENDING CHAMPION
Katie Desa, Jr., G, Penn State (Pawcatuck, Conn.)
Penn State's Katie DeSa takes home the Brianne McLaughlin Goaltender of the Year Award for 2024-25. During the regular season, DeSa's 1.40 goals-against average led Atlantic Hockey and ranked sixth in the nation. In conference play, DeSa led the AHA in save percentage (.947), goals-against average (1.13), and shutouts (7). The junior netminder posted a record of 24-5-0 between the pipes in the regular season, and went 17-1-0 in league play. DeSa is also the AHA Goaltending Champion for 2024-25, as her .947 save percentage during conference play in the regular season was tops in Atlantic Hockey. On Feb. 7, DeSa was named a semifinalist for the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Women's Goalie of the Year award for 2025.

Finalists for Goaltender of the Year:
Allie Kelley, Gr., G, Syracuse (East Berne, N.Y.)
Sarah Coe, Sr., G, RIT (Brooklin, Ont.)

NICOLE HENSLEY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Julia Schalin, Fr., F, Mercyhurst (Espoo, Finland)
Mercyhurst freshman Julia Schalin takes home the Nicole Hensley Rookie of the Year Award this season. Schalin enters Saturday's championship game with 32 points on the season, which ranks second among all rookies in the country. In the regular season, Schalin led AHA rookies and ranked third among all skaters with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists in 19 league games. In addition, her 1.32 points per game in conference play led AHA rookies and ranked second among all skaters. The Laker rookie was also one of five AHA skaters to record a hat trick in AHA play, as she potted three goals on Nov. 16 at Robert Morris. Schalin was a four-time AHA Rookie of the Week selection, and was tapped as the AHA Rookie of the Month on three occasions. 

Finalists for Rookie of the Year:
Grace Outwater, Fr., F, Penn State (Picton, Ont.)
Brac Kelley, Fr., F, RIT (Wilkes-Barre, Penn.)

BEST DEFENSIVE FORWARD
Jordyn Bear, Sr., F, RIT (Ochapowace, SK)
RIT senior Jordyn Bear is the AHA Best Defensive Forward this season. Playing in all situations, Bear scored two power play goals and two short-handed goals during the regular season, and netted a hat trick on Dec. 6 vs. Lindenwood. Throughout the course of the regular season, Bear set career-bests in goals (8), points (10), and shots (60), with five of her eight goals coming against AHA competition. She also blocked 37 shots and committed just four penalties for eight minutes on the season. Bear is the first RIT Tiger to win the Best Defensive Forward Award since Mackenzie Stone in 2016-17. 

Finalists for Best Defensive Forward:
Regina Metzler, Fr., F, Mercyhurst (Budapest, Hungary)
Tiffany Hill, Gr., F, Penn State (Dartmouth, N.S.)

AHA INDIVIDUAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Marielle Parks, Sr., F, Mercyhurst (Erie, Penn.)
Mercyhurst senior Marielle Parks is the fourth consecutive Laker to win or share the AHA Individual Sportsmanship Award. Playing in all 37 games for Mercyhurst, the Erie, Penn. native has not been whistled for a single penalty so far this season, despite seeing considerable ice time for the Lakers. In league play, Parks tallied nine points on four goals and five assists to go along with a rating of +8 in 20 AHA games. Parks enters the championship game with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points on the season.

Finalists for Individual Sportsmanship Award:
Charli Kettyle, Gr., D, Syracuse (Perth, Ont.)
Brianna Brooks, Gr., F, Penn State (Whitby, Ont.)

SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Tatum White, Gr., F, Syracuse (Kingston, Ont.)
For the second straight season, Syracuse's Tatum White is the winner of the AHA Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, which recognizes an Atlantic Hockey America student-athlete who excels in the classroom, community, and on the ice. Academically, White maintains a 4.0 GPA in the Conflict and Collaboration Certificate of Advanced Study while working an average of 16 hours per week as a Medical Assistant at Upstate Orthopedics. She earned her undergraduate degree in medicinal chemistry with a 3.92 GPA, and with aspirations of becoming a doctor, is currently studying for the MCAT exam and preparing her medical school application. In her community, White is a Team IMPACT Fellow, and has captained the program's Team IMPACT leadership group. She also serves as a volunteer coach for minor hockey programs and provincial camps in Ontario, and runs her own youth hockey camp that she founded in Kingston in 2019. On the ice, White completed her third straight season as a team captain for the Orange in 2024-25. She competed in all 20 regular season conference games, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time per game. Playing in all situations, White tallied 12 points on five goals and seven assists in league play. On the season, she scored seven goals and dished out 12 assists for 19 points. 

Finalists for Scholar Athlete of the Year:
Kylie Aquaro, Sr., F, RIT (Yardley, Penn.)
Marielle Parks, Sr., F, Mercyhurst (Erie, Penn.)

COACH OF THE YEAR
Jeff Kampersal, Penn State
Penn State's Jeff Kampersal is the AHA Coach of the Year for 2024-25. This is Kampersal's third straight Coach of the Year Award, and the fourth of his career. Kampersal has led the Nittany Lions to a historic season that saw them claim a third consecutive league regular season championship, and has PSU poised to play for a third-consecutive postseason title on Saturday. Kampersal's squad won their first 17 conference games and set a record with 19 league wins en route to a 19-1-0 record in AHA play. Overall, the Nittany Lions posted a record of 28-5-1 in the regular season, with their 28 wins setting a program record. Penn State finished the 2024-25 regular season ranked No. 8 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live Women's Polls. 

Finalists for Coach of the Year:
Britni Smith, Syracuse
Mike Sisti, Mercyhurst

TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Mercyhurst Lakers
Head coach Mike Sisti and the Lakers ended the 2024-25 regular season with the fewest penalty minutes in the AHA during league play. Mercyhurst took 52 penalties equating to 140 minutes in 20 AHA regular season contests. Their 2.60 penalites per game in conference play was also an league-low. 

About Atlantic Hockey America
Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) embarks on its first season in 2024-25 after the merger between the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America. The conference fields 11 men’s teams (American International College, Bentley University, Canisius University, The College of Holy Cross, Mercyhurst University, Niagara University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, the United States Air Force Academy, and the United States Military Academy), and six women’s teams (Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, Penn State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Robert Morris University, and Syracuse University). In 2025-26, Delaware University will join the women’s league. For more information, visit atlantichockeyamerica.com.