SPRINGFIELD – According to the mother of seven year-old Nate Jay of Chicopee, the budding hockey fan enjoyed a special trip to a Thunderbirds game on Feb. 1.

“It was amazing. We had such a good time,” Tammy Jay told Reminder Publishing after the event.

Nate had entered this newspaper’s Christmas coloring contest in the hopes of winning the prize of tickets to a Thunderbirds game.

In a note attached to his entry, his mother wrote, “Nate wants to go and see a hockey game so badly. Nate has autism, and doesn’t read or write yet, but he is a great artist and loves to sing.”

While Nate didn’t win the contest, Barbara Perry, the vice president of sales at Reminder Publishing, was very touched by the letter and arranged with the management of the Thunderbirds to give Nate an evening he won’t forget. Besides tickets for his family, Nate received a Thunderbirds jersey and met some of the players.

Tammy said, “He hasn’t stopped talking about it. He’s just so thrilled.”