Melville-born Bryce Sebastian is preparing to officiate his final SJHL game Saturday when the Millionaires host the Yorkton Terriers.
Sebastian is retiring after more than 22 seasons in the SJHL, where he worked 432 regular-season games, more than 100 playoff games and over 10 league finals. He also represented Saskatchewan and Canada at several national and international tournaments, including serving as the head official for the 2022 Centennial Cup Final in Estevan.
Sebastian got into officiating after playing bantam hockey and realizing he wanted to stay involved in the game.
“I just realized I wasn’t going much further as I progressed up the minor hockey ranks and still wanted to be involved in the game,” Sebastian said.
He began officiating minor hockey in Melville at 16 years old, with Greg Sastaunik,, Mike Bell and Garry Gawryliuk among those who helped him progress through the ranks.
His first SJHL opportunity came in Melville, an experience he still remembers vividly.
“It was a little bit surreal, never really thinking I was going to get to that level of hockey,” Sebastian said. “That first game was where I fell in love with wanting to grow as an official and see an opportunity to work hockey as high as I could.”
The 2022 Centennial Cup Final stands out as the pinnacle of his Junior A career, but Sebastian says some of his favourite memories also came from working playoff hockey in packed SJHL rinks and getting to officiate games back home in front of his family.
He says the relationships built along the way have also made the career special, calling hockey a “tight community” and pointing to his longtime relationship with Flin Flon head coach Mike Reagan as one example.
Sebastian has also watched the game evolve significantly, from a more physical, clutch-and-grab style when he started to today’s faster, skill-driven game.
“With that speed has come high-impact plays and the importance for creating a safe environment out there for the players, keeping the game fair and maintaining those relationships and open communication,” he said.
Now, he’ll close the book on his SJHL career in the place where it all started.
Sebastian has selected a crew that includes Jeff Bahrey, one of the first officials to give him opportunities early in his career, along with longtime colleagues Brent Vandermeulen and Bob Millette.
With his family expected to be in the stands Saturday, Sebastian says the final skate in Melville will be a special one.
“It’s going to be very special just to have my family in the crowd,” he said. “It would be very cool just to see them all there for one more skate.”
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