Biggar earns Gervais-Munger Award for academic perseverance
Acadie-Bathurst Titan defenceman Zach Biggar has been named the team’s winner of the prestigious Gervais-Munger Award. The 18-year-old was nominated for the award for the perseverance he has shown during his time with Acadie-Bathurst. The annual award is given to a player on each of the league’s 18 teams who “exhibits characteristics such as hard work and diligence,” according to Titan academic advisor George Willett.
“Even through hardships. It recognizes a player who’s respectful of our organization, regardless of what happens, preservers and gets his work done. Now this is pertaining to education as we know,” said Willett. “Education can be influenced by many things, whether it’s at the home or some personal struggle. But Zach has through all of this done very well and is certainly a valuable member of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.”
The Titan drafted Biggar 27th overall in the second round of the 2019 QMJHL Entry Draft. Since joining the team during the 2020-21 season, the six-foot, 186-pound blue-liner has two goals and 31 assists in 64 regular season games. He appeared in nine playoff games in 2021 where he registered three assists.
Originally from Portage, P.E.I, Biggar started his first season in the Q during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, last year Biggar’s classes were online rather than in person.
“That made it a lot more difficult not having a teacher specified for each course on-hand for that help that we needed sometimes,” said Biggar. “Just the online school’s a little tougher for me because I like the in-person and having hands-on stuff…so, that was obviously something we had to overcome last year.”
Self-discipline and was the key to getting his work done. “You got to take a lot of the ownness on yourself,” he said. “It’s a lot of doing school at home, being responsible and mature with that. Trying to stay on top of things. Just knowing that the quicker you get these courses done the less work you have to do.”
Biggar also credits academic advisors Willett and Marie Meagher, as well as teachers from his high school in Portage and in Bathurst for their overall help regarding his courses. Biggar also suffered through personal tragedy at the start of his major junior career. The September of his rookie season two friends from home died in a boating accident in Prince Edward Island. Biggar was in Bathurst at his billets when he received the news.
“Your phone’s buzzing and everyone’s talking about this and everyone’s back home searching. And, everyone’s together trying to find them. I was stuck here in Bathurst at my billet house in my bedroom at like 9 o’clock at night. It was just very tough to be here and not be there in support of those guys,” said Biggar. “But obviously the Titan here and the staff and the organization let me go home for the procedures and all that. So, I was very thankful.”
