(ABC 6 News) – Santa came early for a young hockey player from Rochester, with the help of a thoughtful grandmother and the big heart of a Gopher hockey coach.

13-year-old Elliott Sikink, got to live out a Christmas wish, participating in a workout with Gopher goalie coach Brennan Poderzay.

Elliott’s grandma reached out to to see if she could make it happen. And to their collective surprise, that wish came true.

“I felt pretty shocked,” said Elliott. “I didn’t know what to say.”

“I asked him, what do you think? And what should I tell Brennan?” remarked Elliott’s grandmother, Julia Briese. “And he said, ‘I can’t talk, all I can do is smile.'”

Elliott and his younger brother, Henry, took the ice and got some tips. Though it was just an hour on the ice, it’s a memory that will last forever.