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Tessa Moore Shares Story to Stars and Saint Michael’s Hockey
As a little girl from Wheeling, West Virginia, it’s far from easy to become an elite hockey prospect. But Tessa Moore hasn’t cared about if it was easy or not. She just wanted to play and become the best she could be. Her hard work and even starting out playing in the boys’ leagues has paid off as a verbal commitment to Saint Michael’s College women’s hockey.
Moore began playing ice hockey at a young age and even was playing on two boys’ teams at one time growing up. Women’s hockey has progressed to where there is a youth girls’ team in her hometown around a decade later. It speaks to the growth of the girls’ and women’s game, but there is still work to be done to acknowledge and support these elite athletes. Moore is certainly doing her part to put Wheeling, West Virginia women’s hockey on the map. As a future Division I player, a standout for The Linsly School, and also now a member of Dallas Stars Elite’s U19 girls’ team, she certainly has gained attention by many after many years of hard work.
Before the game of hockey became prominent in her life, Moore was a figure skater from the age of four to eight and also participated in Little Pens and for a youth team on the side of figure skating. However, Moore’s neighbor growing up was a former professional hockey player and encouraged her to give the sport a chance. She did so and has truly never looked back since. Although it was difficult at some points, admitted Moore. “I was nervous and scared and never had a connection with my teammates because I was the only girl. To now see there are all girls’ teams in my small hometown means everything to me. I love seeing the program grow from just being me and two other girls to an entire team full of young girls wanting to learn the sport.”
Although Moore has played on girls’ teams for several years now, she plays varsity hockey on a boys’ varsity team at The Linsly School. It allowed her to play alongside her older brother Brenden, who is a current player for the University of Miami’s hockey team that competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). These memories on the ice with her older brother will always be some of the most meaningful memories of her entire journey through hockey. “Watching him play, be captain, and grow as a player was the best thing for me to see. I will never forget every time he stood up for me, and when he taught me different skills to work on.”
Besides her commitment to Linsly hockey, she also competes in the club season for Dallas Stars Elite. She recently moved to this organization after a few seasons with Pens Elite in the Pittsburgh area. It’s increased her travel schedule, especially in the spring through early fall. She has made regular trips to Dallas on the weekends to practice. However, her travels extend around the United States as the organization competes at the national level. Having now competed for two elite clubs, she appreciates what each of them have done for her to help reach her dream of playing college hockey. “Both organizations had led me to learn the importance of hard work and advocating for yourself. I am very thankful for Pens as they gave me the opportunity to play Tier 1 hockey for the first time. I would have never gotten to where I’m at in my life if it weren’t for the coaches and teammates I have had at both places. They pushed me to be better while also giving me support and help along the way.”
Moore is a verbal commit for Saint Michael’s College Purple Knights women’s hockey and will join the program beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The institution plays at the Division I level in women’s hockey as the lone Division I sport on campus. The program plays in the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) and is in the most populous town in the state of Vermont in Colchester. She plans to major in pre-medicine, hoping to become a dermatologist one day. “Saint Micheal’s simply made me feel like family,” Moore said. On my visit, the girls hung out with me, ate lunch with me, and brought me to a soccer game. They were not shy about expressing themselves and their personalities. I knew I wanted to be in that environment right away. It felt like a perfect place for me to be”
Her time with Dallas Stars Elite and Pens Elite have each been significant in her career, but so has her time playing for The Linsly School. It’s taught her new skills and attributes to be successful no matter who she’s playing against. The skill development from varsity hockey has been important to her and it’s the best way she can represent her home state of West Virginia in her favorite sport. Her home state of West Virginia has also been significant in her hockey career because it introduced her to two of her biggest mentors in the sport in Steff Brannare and Tim Roberts.
When she was growing and figuring out the game at high school level, Brannare believed in her and helped her navigate the adjustment period of varsity hockey. Roberts was a successful player in the sport for many years and his hockey smarts are something Moore is something she’s fortunate to have picked up on throughout her life. He is like a second dad to her and her truest hockey idol. Her parents Amanda and Glenn may have been skeptical about their little girl playing hockey like any parents would be, but over time, they’ve grown to love seeing her strength and ability out on the ice. “I want to thank my parents for not only paying the expensive bills (of being a hockey player), but for being the best support group I could ever ask for. My mother was supportive of my dreams and helped me when I was frustrated with my game. My dad is the only person in my life who is always completely honest with me and my game. He told me everything I need to hear, and that has made me a better person and player.”
Being a college hockey player is almost here for Tessa Moore, but even more than this step, she’s excited for two more years of chasing a national title. She has a third-place nod to her credit already in her career, but she is chasing the big one with Dallas Stars Elite. This will not be the only time people hear Tessa Moore’s name in the sport of hockey. It is surely just one of the first.
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