Sports fan Liam skates with top US ice hockey team Boston Bruins

Liam, 12, of Walton, has been playing the sport for Sheffield Junior Ice Hockey Academy for five years.

He was given the chance to meet his favourite player 6ft 9ins tall Zdeno Chara and his team mates before taking to the ice alongside them at the TD Garden arena in Boston as part of a trip organised by charity Rays of Sunshine.

His mum Jayne said: “Liam is just beaming. We’d like to thank Rays of Sunshine, Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara and the rest of the Bruins players for making it possible.

“It was an incredible experience and we are so appreciative. It really was a dream come true.”

Liam was also given his own personalised Bruins shirt, got changed in the team’s dressing room and answered questions from the American press in the same way as the players.

He said: “Zdeno Chara and all the players were really nice to me. It was as if I’d known him forever. To people who don’t know him, he looks really scary because he is so tall but he’s really nice.”

Claude Julien, Bruins’ team coach, said: “It was neat to see Liam come in here and ask to meet Zdeno and the rest of the team. It was nice for us to be able to give him that opportunity to spend some time with us.”

For more information about Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity or to apply for a wish to be granted visit www.raysofsunshine.org.uk