Sara Manness

Sara Manness
Born (2007-09-26) September 26, 2007
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
ECAC team Clarkson
Playing career 2025–present

Sara Manness (born September 26, 2007) is a Canadian college ice hockey forward for the Clarkson Golden Knights of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Playing career

Manness originally had a verbal commitment to play college ice hockey at Minnesota in 2023, before committing to play for Clarkson.[1]

She began her collegiate career during the 2025–26 season. During October, she led all freshmen with 12 assists and was named named Co-Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Rookie of the Month, along with Hilda Svensson.[2] On January 24, 2026, in a game against Harvard, she became the first Clarkson player in program history to score a goal in 10 consecutive games in one season, surpassing the previous record of nine consecutive games set by Loren Gabel during the 2017–18 season.[3] During January, she recorded 14 goals, and nine assists in 11 games. She had at least one point in each game and had nine multi-point games, including three multi-goal games, four game winners and her third career hat-trick. She was subsequently named ECAC Rookie of the Month and HCA Rookie of the Month.[4][5] During her freshman year she led the conference in scoring with 21 goals and 31 assists in 22 games. She led all rookies nationally and in the ECAC in game-winning goals (6), points (52), and goals (21).[6]

Following the season she was named to the All-ECAC first team and All-ECAC rookie team.[7][8] She was also named ECAC Rookie of the Year, Forward of the Year and Player of the Year. She became the first rookie to win ECAC Player of the Year.[9] She was also named co-National Rookie of the Year, along with Hilda Svensson.[10]

International play

Manness represented Team Manitoba at the 2023 National Women's Under-18 Championship and tied for the tournament lead in scoring with five goals and four assists in five games.[11] She was subsequently named MVP.[12] Following her performance at the National Under-18 Championship, she was selected to represent Canada at the 2024 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship where she was the youngest member for team Canada.[13] During the tournament she recorded three assists in six games and won a bronze medal.[14]

On December 10, 2024, she was again selected to represent Canada at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, along with her twin sister, Kate.[15] The twins became the fifth set of sisters to represent Canada at the U18 World Championship, and the first to do so together at the same competition.[16] During the tournament she recorded two goals and seven assists in six games and won a gold medal.[17]

Personal life

Manness was born to April and Jason Manness, and has a twin sister, Kate, and an older sister, Alison.[18][19]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2023–24 Burlington Jr. Barracudas OWHL 39 43 57 100 28
2024–25 Burlington Jr. Barracudas OWHL 29 26 27 53 26 4 0 2 2 0
OWHL totals 68 69 84 153 54 4 0 2 2 0

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2024 Canada U18 6 0 3 3 0
2025 Canada U18 6 2 7 9 0
Junior totals 12 2 10 12 0

Awards and honours

Honors Year
College
First Team All-ECAC 2026 [20]
ECAC All-Rookie Team 2026
ECAC Player of the Year 2026
ECAC Forward of the Year 2026
ECAC Rookie of the Year 2026
National Rookie of the Year 2026 [10]

References

  1. ^ Sawatzky, Mike (August 5, 2024). "Man oh man oh Manness sisters". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  2. ^ "Women's HCA Honors for September–October Are Announced". hockeycommissioners.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  3. ^ "Manness Sets Goal Scoring Record for Knights, Clarkson Wins Fifth Straight". clarksonathletics.com. January 24, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  4. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces Women's January Monthly Awards". clarksonathletics.com. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  5. ^ "Women's Honors: HCA Honors Outstanding Performances for January". hockeycommissioners.com. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  6. ^ "Sara Manness Named ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year". ecachockey.com. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  7. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces 2025-26 Women's First Team All-ECAC". ecachockey.com. February 26, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  8. ^ "ECAC Hockey Announces 2025-26 Women's All-Rookie Team". ecachockey.com. February 23, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  9. ^ "Sara Manness Named ECAC Hockey Player of the Year". ecachockey.com. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Manness and Svensson Share Julie Chu Rookie of the Year Award". hockeycommissioners.com. March 19, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  11. ^ Ginsburg, Ezra (November 12, 2023). "Sara Manness named Tournament MVP at 2023 National Women's U18 Championship". hockeymanitoba.ca. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  12. ^ Kennedy, Ian (November 10, 2023). "Manness Was Magic For Manitoba". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Ian (January 5, 2024). "Manness Looks To Build Off U-18 National MVP Honor At Worlds". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  14. ^ FreySawatzky, Mike (January 16, 2024). "Jan 2024: Bronze good, but not good enough for Canada's U18 women". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  15. ^ Kennedy, Ian (December 10, 2024). "Canada Names Their U-18 National Team Ahead Of 2025 World Championships". The Hockey News. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  16. ^ "Manitoba sisters score gold, make hockey history for Canada on international stage". CBC.ca. January 13, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  17. ^ "Canada wins gold at 2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship". Hockey Canada. January 12, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  18. ^ Frey-Sam, Joshua (December 4, 2025). "Future is bright for La Salle's touted twins". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  19. ^ "Sara Manness". clarksonathletics.com. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  20. ^ "Manness earns trio of awards at ECAC Ceremony". clarksonathletics.com. March 6, 2026. Retrieved March 6, 2026.