South East Athletic Club banquet hosted in Medicine Hat with new award in honour of Terry Bartman

He owned Terry Bartman Construction, was a minor hockey coach, a scout for 30 years with the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, and chair of the World U17 Hockey Challenge Medicine Hat hosted in 2019, a former captain of the Medicine Hat Cubs and a long time volunteer with the Medicine Hat Stampede.

Bartman passed away at the age of 65 in March 2023.

Bartman’s son Brett and daughter Rachel Vossler were at the ceremony to present the award in his honour.

Vossler said the SEAC board present the idea for the award to them.

“Brent Sauer brought it to our family earlier in the season and we were just really humbled and grateful that they were considering doing this, and we feel very lucky to have this award [named] after my dad,” Vossler said.

“It’s really special for me and my family as well. Being here, being able to see all the players all the things that SEAC is doing. We just feel really grateful to the board, to the community and everyone who has supported us on our journey with my dad,” she added.

“He would be so proud. Immensely proud just seeing not only the award, but what SEAC has done and the players and everything. I think he would be very grateful for all those people that are still involved with SEAC and everything this many years later.”

SEAC was formed in 2012.

The first recipients of the award named in Bartman’s honour included Chase Murphy of the U15 AA Tigers, Ethan Grad of the U15 AAA Tigers, and co-winners on the U17 AAA Tigers team Colby Motz and Tate Bowal.

“It’s really awesome to win and I am thankful for the Bartman family giving me the award, and you know it’s a great honour, and I am really happy to be given the leadership and integrity award and the characteristics deserving it,” Motz said.

“It’s just such an honour to be awarded this award, and just thanks to the Bartman family for laying the foundation for the SEAC organization,” Bowal said.

The Riley Martin Memorial Award was given to one member of the U17 AAA Tigers a team that Martin played on for one season during the inaugural 2012-13 season when it was still the U16 AAA team.

Martin from Brooks passed away from cancer at the age of 17 in 2014.

This year the award goes to forward Elijah Fleck, a Brooks resident.

“It obviously means a lot, Riley was a tremendous player and he meaned a lot to the community,” Fleck said.

“I am honoured to win the award,” he added.

“Just working hard every day and it meant a lot for me to do this for our team that had a great season this year.”

The Most Valuable Player award winner for the U17 AAA team was team captain Colby Gulliver.

Gulliver lead the Tigers in goals, assists and points during the regular season with 23 goals, 22 assists and 45 points in 34 games, to go with six playoff points in five games.

Gulliver was also sixth in the Alberta Elite Hockey League in regular season points and second in goals.

“Honestly just being a team and being a leader on the team, it was a really good opportunity for me. I was really glad to have that opportunity obviously,” Gulliver said.

The U15 AAA Tigers had a pair of winners with first year goaltender Paxton Smigelski and second year forward Carson Ward sharing the MVP award.

Ward lead the U15 AAA team in goals, assists and points with 25 goals, 23 assists and 48 points after recording seven points in the same 34 games the season prior.

Smigelski from Oyen lead the team in goals against average and save percentage.

The U15 AA Tigers MVP award winner is Dane Friedt who lead the team in regular season goals, assists and points with 21 goals, 18 assists and 39 points in 34 games to go with four playoff points in four games.

The remaining award winners from the U15 AA team included Dane Friedt again as top forward, Brogan Verishine as top defenceman and goaltender Conner Aldag as most dedicated.

From the U15 AAA team were top forward Illya Khazov, top defenceman Madden Wright, and most dedicated Rhyder Arnold.

The U17 AAA honours for top forward Randen Collier, top defenceman Tate Bowal, most dedicated was shared by defencemen Kade Dickie and Easton Kurpjuweit, and defenceman Parker Kienzle was commended as unsung hero.

The 11 players graduating from the SEAC U17 AAA Tigers where also honoured during the event.

The U17 AAA team had the most successful season as far as team record and playoffs were concerned, they ended up one win away from the five team provincial finals losing a second round series to the Airdrie Avalanche, after knocking out last years provincial winners the Okotoks Oilers in the two straight games in the first round. The team placed fifth of 9 teams in the AEHL south division regular season standings with 20 wins, 13 losses and 1 overtime loss.

The U15 AA Tigers were third of seven teams in the south conference of the South Central Alberta Hockey League with 16 wins, 13 losses and five ties. The team hosted the south conference playoffs in Medicine Hat, but their one win, two losses and one tie playoff tournament record wasn’t enough to make the finals.

The U15 AAA Tigers where four points away from a playoff spot as they ended up last place in the 9 team south division of the AEHL. Their regular season win total from the prior season however did increased by seven.

This was the first time all three of SEAC’s teams were at the same awards banquet since 2019.

by Jesse Gill

South East Athletic Club banquet hosted in Medicine Hat with new award in honour of Terry Bartman

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