ST. LOUIS, MO. - Sarah Thompson, a St. Lawrence graduate forward, was announced as the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award Recipient during Friday's awards ceremonies at the NCAA Men's Frozen Four weekend.
Thompson is the 30th honoree of the award and the first from St. Lawrence to be honored. She also becomes the 12th female and the seventh ECAC Hockey student-athlete to receive the prestigious award.
The Orleans, Ontario native was one of five finalists joining the ECAC Hockey Men’s Project Rousseau Community Service Award winner, Hank Kempf of Cornell University.
A finalist in 2023 and 2024, Thompson launched Sticks Together, a nonprofit foundation, while pursuing her undergraduate studies at Syracuse University. Sticks Together aims to provide the essential resources for children in underprivileged communities to learn and play hockey. As part of the initiative, we donate recycled hockey equipment and teach the game to students around the globe. Their vision is to offer children an escape from their daily lives and share the joy of playing sports with young kids who may not have this opportunity otherwise. She led humanitarian trips to Argentina (2022), South Africa (2023), and the Philippines (2024).
Courtesy: IG: Sticks Together
“This is such a great moment for Sarah and all of the people associated with Sticks Together,” said St. Lawrence women’s head coach Chris Wells. “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. She doesn’t do any of this for any other reason but to spread goodwill. She doesn’t want any recognition for it, but she deserves to be getting every bit of it for all she has done.”
“One of the most impressive things about the ECAC is the people. I am always astonished by the students' athletes' ability to balance a difficult course load, strive for on-ice excellence, and commit to improving their local communities. The ECAC is thrilled to have two finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award,” said ECAC Hockey Commissioner Doug Christiansen. “The ECAC would like to congratulate Sarah Thompson on this incredible honor. Please join ECAC Hockey by helping support Sticks Together in helping to grow the ‘best game in the world.’”
ABOUT THE HOCKEY HUMANITARIAN AWARD:
The Hockey Humanitarian Award is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen—a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community at large through leadership in volunteerism. On Friday night, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation presented Thompson and her Sticks Together Foundation with a check for $3,000. The other four finalists each received $500 for their respective designated charities. These donations from the HHA Foundation are made possible through the generous support of the awards partners and donors.
You can find out more about Sticks Together at stickstogether.org and donate to her organization on gofundme.com.
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