HIGH ACHIEVERS: St. Lawrence University’s Sarah Thompson wins Hockey Humanitarian Award, Ottawa student-athletes earn awards throughout Ontario

By Martin Cleary

University sports have wrapped up for another academic year across Ontario, with schools handing out individual honours to their top student-athletes.

Earlier this week, High Achievers focused on the major winners at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.

But we can’t forget the 18 other post-secondary institutions in the OUA because there were almost two dozen student-athletes from the National Capital Region and Ottawa Valley who were recognized at award banquets.

Before we turn our attention to the 10 universities which included student-athletes from our region on their honoured roster, let’s turn the spotlight on Canton, New York, where a young graduate student from St. Lawrence University has captured a national award.

Sarah Thompson of the Orleans neighbourhood of Ottawa has become the 30th winner of the Hockey Humanitarian Award from the Hockey Humanitarian Foundation for her work with a not-for-profit organization called Sticks Together.

The former University of Syracuse student-athlete was the 12th female to receive the prestigious award. She was honoured along with the recipients of the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, the Mike Richter Award and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award during the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four national hockey championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I’m incredibly honoured to be selected among such an inspiring group of finalists,” said Thompson in a press release. “As a student-athlete, we have a powerful platform to create meaningful change and I feel so fortunate to have done that through Sticks Together.”

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The other four finalists were Keri Clougherty of Boston College, Kendra Fortin of Bemidji State University, Hank Kempf of Cornell University and Raice Szott of Merrimack College.

Thompson, a finalist for the award in 2023 and 2024, created Sticks Together as an undergrad at Syracuse. Her love of hockey, whether on the ice or playing on neighbourhood streets, has no limits, which drove her desire “to give back, share her love for the sport and bridge cultural gaps around the world.”

Sticks Together aims to provide the proper resources to give children in underprivileged regions the chance to learn and play hockey. The program donates recycled equipment and teaches students around the world.

Thompson, who began working on the program during the COVID-19 pandemic, has made humanitarian trips to Argentina (2022), South Africa (2023) and the Philippines (2024) to spread the word about hockey.

“What started as a simple desire to give back has grown into something much bigger, allowing me to share the game of hockey with communities around the world,” she added. “Seeing a child’s face light up as they score their first goal is a feeling I’ll never forget.”

Sticks Together came alive through the support of donors, sponsors, mentors, her hockey teams and family.

“This is such a great moment for Sarah and all of the people associated with Sticks Together,” said Chris Wells, the St. Lawrence University Saints women’s hockey head coach. “She has built a sustainable organization that provides great opportunities for the game we all love.

“In just one year at SLU, she has made such an impact on our program. Her maturity and thoughtfulness have been experienced by all of us and her unselfish attitude will be remembered here long after she has graduated.”

In her graduate season at St. Lawrence, Thompson scored two goals and added two assists in 38 games. During her four years at Syracuse, she had 29 goals and 20 assists for 49 points in 121 games, was a two-time American Hockey Coaches Association All-America Scholar, and a three-time College Hockey America All-Academic team selection.

Similarly, Kristi Godkin, also of Orleans, was named the recipient of the 18th annual Outstanding Women of Laurier award for her passionate work as a mentor and community leader.

A fourth-year business major and co-captain of the women’s golf team at Wilfrid Laurier University, Godkin was recognized for founding TopShot Hockey, a program designed to coach young female athletes, volunteering with First Tee Golf Canada and serving on the Golden Hawk Council to support community initiatives.

Godkin submitted an application for the award to inspire her peers by showing that “people can manage school … while also being engaged with our community.”

She also is an athlete academic coach, empowering her peers to succeed in both academics and athletics.

“It’s such an honour just to be nominated … alongside such incredible women who have made such an impact in their communities and at Laurier.”

The other Laurier finalists were Miranda Campbell (basketball), Brianna Bowman (hockey) and Maya Robinson (cross-country running and track).

“I just wanted to live up to being like the people I saw growing up,” she added. “Maybe that will inspire someone to reach out and do their own community engagement.”

Godkin was an OUA first-team all-star and the bronze medallist at the OUA women’s golf championship in 2024 as well as a representative for Canada at the FISU World University Games last year.

Here are the award-winning National Capital Region student-athletes from 10 universities across Ontario:

WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY

· Emma Artichuk, women’s curling, Orleans, President’s Award as female athlete of the year, skipped her team to the U Sports gold medal and OUA silver medal with a combined record of 14-2, women’s curling team MVP.

· Kristi Godkin, women’s golf, Orleans, Fred Nichols Community Service Leadership Award and the Outstanding Women of Laurier award, women’s golf team MVP, co-captain of the Golden Hawks golf team, won OUA golf championship bronze medal, OUA first team all-star.

· Isla Holmes, women’s curling, Ottawa, won U Sports women’s curling gold medal and OUA silver medal, women’s curling team rookie of the year.

NIPISSING UNIVERSITY

· Oceane Raymond-Leduc, women’s volleyball, Ottawa, women’s volleyball MVP and PRIDE award winner, OUA second all-star team as an outside hitter, fourth ranked in OUA for kills/set and points/set.

· Alvin Icyogere, men’s basketball, Ottawa, men’s basketball MVP, averaged 14.5 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, first Nipissing player selected in the Canadian Elite Basketball League draft by the Ottawa Blackjacks.

· Charlie Johnson, men’s hockey, Kanata, men’s hockey MVP, nine goals and nine assists in 25 games.

· Noah Vom Scheidt, men’s hockey, Ottawa, men’s hockey rookie of the year, six goals and four assists in 20 games.

· Rayane Boumrar, men’s soccer, Ottawa, men’s soccer MVP, midfielder, one goal and eight shots of goal in 12 games.

· Caleb Bosomworth, men’s lacrosse, Kanata, defence, men’s lacrosse rookie of the year.

ALGOMA UNIVERSITY

· Lilah Fraser, women’s wrestling, Renfrew, Thunderbirds’ Coaches Award, OUA bronze medal.

· Jean-Luc Cubahiro, men’s basketball, Gatineau, freshman forward, Thunderbirds’ most improved player award.

LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY

· Margot West, women’s nordic skiing, Ottawa, Voyageurs’ Pride and Tradition award for women’s nordic skiing, seventh in 15-kilometre freestyle race at the OUA championships.

· Pierre Mukandila, men’s basketball, Gatineau, Voyageurs’ Pride and Tradition award for men’s basketball, averaged 10.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in eight games.

TORONTO METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY

· Kai Edmonds, men’s hockey, Ottawa, goalkeeper, fourth at U Sports national championship, men’s hockey MVP, 2.45 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in 28 games, helped Canada win gold medal at FISU World University Games.

· Emilie Lovitt Sansoucy, women’s curling, Vankleek Hill, women’s curling MVP.

ONTARIO TECH UNIVERSITY

· Jenna Viduka, women’s soccer, Ottawa, 527 minutes for six games as a midfielder, Ridgebacks rookie of the year.

· Zoe McGee, women’s hockey, Kanata, goaltender, 18 games, 2.89 goals-against average and .924 save percentage, Ridgebacks leadership award winner.

McMASTER UNIVERSITY

· Sullie Sundara, women’s volleyball, Kanata, outside hitter, women’s volleyball MVP, sparked Marauders to the OUA championship and a program-tying fifth place at the U Sports championship.

· Maxime Gratton, men’s volleyball, Ottawa, outside hitter, men’s volleyball MVP, made Marauders history exceeding 1,000 points, OUA first-team all-star and U Sports first-team All-Canadian.

BROCK UNIVERSITY

· Maleah Pinkston, women’s soccer, Chelsea, PQ, defender, women’s soccer MVP, one goal and four shots on goal in 12 games.

· Devin Cooney, men’s volleyball, Kanata, outside hitter, men’s volleyball MVP, OUA first all-star team, nominated for Badgers male athlete of the year, averaged 4.42 points and 4.4 kills per set.

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

· Meghan Vrkoc, Ottawa, varsity club student-athlete leadership award with Claire Christie.

TRENT UNIVERSITY

· Joseff Zwetko-Neher, men’s soccer, Ottawa, goalkeeper, Gary Wolff Leadership Award, mentored team rookies as a second-year player, led strength training sessions, and volunteered as a student trainer for multiple Excalibur teams.