Golden Suns hand out awards

By Cole Parkinson

For Taber Times

Spring is in the air and hockey seasons are wrapping up across the country. With the Taber Golden Suns all seeing the end of their seasons, it allowed the organization to recognize some of their players’ accomplishments throughout the 2022-23 season. 

For the U13 Suns, it was a season of growing as Taber would put up a 6-27-2 which was good for 14 points. Looking at the entire season, the team saw several notable performances from its players. The team handed out four awards last week at the Suns’ annual awards banquet. Canaan Fleck took home Most Sportsmanlike, after putting up 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 35 games while only taking six penalty minutes. Maddix Miller was awarded the Player’s Player award. Miller posted three goals and 20 assists in 35 games this season. Ryker Orsten was the most improved player as the forward had 22 goals and 15 assists in 35 games. Last but not least, Delphin De Boer was announced as the team’s MVP after leading the team with 41 goals and 23 assists, good for 64 points in 32 games. De Boer was fifth in goals and points in the South Central Alberta Hockey League’s U13 division. De Boer was also recognized as the SCAHL U13 Most Valuable Forward. 

The 2022-23 season saw the U15 Golden Suns struggle but there was still plenty of growth for the players. Posting a 2-21-2 record, the Suns may not have seen many wins, but there were still plenty of positives across the entirety of the season. Chase Stronge was awarded the MVP award, Lincoln Weiss was recognized as Most Sportsmanlike, Devin Groenenboom was awarded the Player’s Player award, and Griffin Stenger was the Most Improved player. 

Stronge led the team with 18 goals and 12 points in 35 games en route to the MVP award. Weiss was a stalwart on the backend posting four goals and 11 points while only taking 24 penalty minutes in his 34 games. Groenenboom finished second in scoring for the U15 Suns as he scored 11 goals and had 14 assists. Stenger saw 20 games between the pipes in 22-23 and the netminder had a 3-14-1 record. 

In U18, the Taber Golden Suns saw plenty of ups and downs this season. In 37 games, the team posted an 11-21-5 record. Most Sportsmanlike for the U18’s went to Austin Wilkins who had one goal and three assists in 36 games. The Player’s Player was awarded to Heath Hansen who had 12 goals and 10 assists in 37 games. Jett Matisho won most improved after a campaign that saw four goals and seven assists in 37 games. Ryan Holm was recognized as the Suns’ MVP after leading the team with 27 goals, 13 assists, and 40 points. 

See photos on B3