Tyson Vennard is Mini-VP for the Cochrane Generals and is helping the team in their quest to win the HJHL championship.
He can now add to his memory book the night he dropped the puck in the opening ceremony of the league's best-of-seven north final in Cochrane, Mar. 3.
A little over a month ago, the 11-year-old was invited to a Gens game by team president Rick Richards. Tyson was given some roles to play. He quickly rolled up his sleeves.
When Rick picked him up one night, Tyson was wearing a shirt and tie and was looking rather smart.
Rick looked him up and down and said, "Well, now you're going to have to dress like that for the rest of the games. You've going to be our Mini-VP."
There was no hesitation on Tyson's part.
"It's fun," says Tyson. "I love hanging out with the team and helping them out."
If invited back next season, he wouldn't hesitate to say yes.
"I would love that," he said, beaming with excitement.
Tyson was admittedly nervous about going on the ice in front of hundreds of fans, but he nailed it.
There was plenty of support from the Gens bench and applause from the stands as he walked onto the ice
"It was scary when I was going on to the ice, but I think I succeeded."
Sadly, Tyson lost his 14-year sister Faith to COVID-19.
"I miss her. It's been hard but we've been making the best of it."
Gens president Rick Richard had come to know the family before COVID from visits to a gym in Rocky Ridge. When the mom arrived at the gym in early January without her wheelchair-bound daughter, he learned of the sad circumstances.
"That began a different journey with the family," explains Rick.
"I felt one thing I could do was to bring Tyson to the games to be surrounded by guys who are positive in moving forward with their lives, and some of them had gone through stuff."
"I thought it would give him a couple of days a week where he could think about something else, not the loss of his sister."
Tyson established an immediate connection with the players.
"The first night, we gave him a mini-stick, and a player gave him a broken stick that all of the players signed. From what his mom told me, he slept with that stick the first night."
Tyson is kept busy. He handles the players' backup sticks, water bottles, and game pucks for the game, and distributes giveaways to the fans.
"Probably too much stuff," Rick laughs. "We're running out."