You would be hard pressed to find a bigger off-season acquisition than that of Sara Sammons returning to the Perth Inferno.
The young Australian ice hockey star is set to make a long-awaited return and will hit the ice for the 2023/24 Australian Women’s Ice Hockey League season.
Sammons has spent the past four years at Anna Maria College in the United States, playing NCAA Division III hockey.
The return will boost an Inferno team that fell agonisingly short of the Joan McKowen Trophy during their 2022/23 campaign.
“It’s really exciting actually, there has been a ton of development done while I have been away,” Sara Sammons told Hockey Hype Australia.
“We have got a new coach in Graham [Hyde], but he is super passionate about the game.
“And it’s really good to see the investment that is being made into female hockey in Perth.”
A return to the hometown club is something that is always a special moment, getting to represent the Inferno and pull on the purple and orange.
Sammons is a proud Western Australian and after being away from the AWIHL and Inferno for a few years, the excitement is visible.
“I think obviously born and raised in Perth, so that’s home,” Sammons said with a smile.
“But I think for hockey in particular, it’s always been the Eastern states that have kind of led the way, and we only recently got our A-Dub [AWIHL] team.
“So pretty proud, any chance I get to throw on the purple and orange.”
Although born and raised in Perth, Sammons’ journey into ice hockey didn’t begin until a move abroad occurred.
Sammons’ father was in the Navy and got stationed in Canada on an exchange. As an Australian in a hockey mad country, Sammons caught the bug.
What started out as a chance to follow school friends in Canada by picking up a stick has taken Sammons across the world, representing Australia, and become a star of Australian women’s ice hockey.
“So, my dad is in the Navy,” said Sammons.
“He went on a Navy exchange for two years to Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. That was between 2007 and 2009.
“I went to school there and all my friends were playing hockey. And I just said, ‘mum, I want to play that’. So, she says ‘alright you’ve got to go to skating lessons first and learn how to skate’.
“So that was 2008 and I’ve been playing ever since.”
Spending time in Halifax, Sammons was able to get a taste of what it is like to be amongst the junior hockey system in Canada.
For many Canadians, it’s a way of life – we hear the stories from afar about being born with skates on their feet.
“Oh, it’s completely different,” continued Sammons.
“It’s crazy, it’s a lifestyle for them. So, eat, breathe, sleep, hockey, repeat.
“Which is really cool and obviously nothing like it is here.”
Sammons attended Grade 11 and 12 at Newbridge Academy, a prep school located in Nova Scotia.
Chirping is par for the course when it comes to hockey. As an Australian playing in Canada, Sammons was exposed to the odd friendly bit of banter.
“They say ‘do you even have ice rinks down there’,” Sammons said with a grin “So yeah, definitely fish out of water.”
After learning to skate and play in Canada, Sammons would then earn a place in the NCAA college system.
Spending four years at Anna Maria College playing Division III hockey is something that Sammons says has improved their game immensely, and was an amazing experience.
“It was super cool, actually,” continued Sammons.
“Being a student athlete and playing, you know your 25-plus game schedule, travelling on buses, practicing every day.
“I played with a really good group of girls as well.”
Player recruitment in Australia when it comes to hockey has a lot of dependence on word of mouth – imports know other imports, or a local player know someone they played with abroad.
When it comes to the AWIHL it is no different, with returning Australians that have spent winter overseas in North America or Europe being a key part of the recruitment process.
For Sammons, some college teammates are already being lined up for a potential move to the Inferno down the track.
“Oh yeah absolutely, I have got a few lined up,” said Sammons.
“Unfortunately, we can’t bring goalies over, otherwise I would. I’d definitely bring Gabby [Gabrielle] Gibson over.”
Playing junior hockey in Canada and having the chance to become a student athlete has many opportunities and perks that come along with it.
Access to first class facilities, coaching, and what it takes to become the best hockey player you can be.
For Sammons, the time spent playing college hockey has been a driving force in improving their game.
“Leaps and bounds, I think it’s immeasurable,” continued Sammons.
“It’s not so much the small skill things, it’s more how you think the game, anticipating plays and then being just smarter when you have the puck, and when you don’t have the puck.
“It’s that next level, it’s at that higher standard, it’s a bit faster. You don’t have time to think – you have got to be kind of automatic with your processing and that’s really what sets it apart.”
Even at 22-years-old Sammons has achieved a lot in Australian hockey, representing Australia at U18 and senior level.
A list of accolades that includes a gold medal, three silver medals, and most assists at a World Junior Championships.
“You know I have had the honour and the privilege to do it for quite some time now,” said Sammons.
“There is no greater privilege than pulling on the green and gold, it’s what you dream of as a kid.
“And I think it’s definitely helped shape me into the person I am today, being driven, and being in those high performance environments, especially as a young kid.
“Really grateful for the opportunities I have had.”
The excitement of Sammons returning to Perth for the 2023/24 AWIHL season can be heard across on the east coast of Australia.
With four years of college under the belt, playing more hockey abroad was a serious consideration for Sammons, who could have played in Europe.
However, a return home was more than just a hockey related decision, following COVID it was time to come back to Australia.
“I think it was time to come home for a little bit,” continued Sammons.
“I could have seen if I wanted to play over in Europe or stuff like that, but I think I needed to be home for a little bit, really excited to play in the A-Dub [AWIHL] and then go from there.”
With Sammons returning to the Inferno, it gives a big boost to a Perth team that has proven they can match up with the best teams in the AWIHL.
During their one and only stint in the AWIHL Sammons put up 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) from just eight games played.
Coming off college hockey and continued national team appearances, Sammons will offer some real scoring and playmaking power to the Inferno lineup.
“It’s so good to see Sara back in the AWIHL, not only for Perth Inferno but the league,” Inferno head coach Graham Hyde told Hockey Hype Australia.
“The league has a great player that is respected by her peers. She has been away for three years and developed her skills astronomically in that time at the highest level.
“Inferno has a player that understands high performance hockey programs, showing the team what it takes to be that kind of player.
“Sara will be a handful for teams, she will get the fans off seats with the way she battles hard in the corners and highlight reel plays.
“In the last four weeks we are happy with the way Sara adapted to slotting back into the team.
“It’s like she has never left.”
All eyes for Sammons are now on the Inferno season and getting accustomed with the roster, focusing on a big AWIHL season ahead.
Although the time away from the Inferno has been a long one, Sammons is amazed at what the team has bee able to achieve since arriving back in Australia.
“I’m blown away by the progress that we have made in such a short time,” said Sammons.
“Obviously, coaching change, presidency change, big clear out and kind of reset for the club. But it’s looking really good.
“We got some really good younger girls coming through, which is really exciting.
“But you know when you have got people like Michelle Clark-Crumpton and Elizabeth Scala as your teammates, it’s always a good day.”
Talking like a true hockey player, Sammons has clear intentions for the upcoming AWIHL season – score and put-up points.
“Personally, obviously like to put a bunch of points up on the board,” continued Sammons.
“And then be able to bring back my experience and leadership from being overseas and help mentor a couple of the new kids.
“But I think as a team, you know we have gotten bronze a couple of times now, and it’s like that semi final hurdle that we can’t get over.
“So, I think that would be the number one goal is to make it through and hopefully end the season with a gold medal around our neck.”
It doesn’t make sense to hear a 22-year-old talk about mentoring new kids on the team, it shouldn’t be how things work, but Sammons has achieved so much so early.
However, Sammons is passionate about the Inferno and is primed to give back to hockey in the state of Western Australia.
December 9-10 is the big Inferno return for Sammons on home ice, and the message is clear, bring the noise.
“I’m excited to be back,” said Sammons.
“And I can’t wait to see you all there at Cockburn Ice Arena, and let’s bring the heat.”
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