An emotional roller-coaster for the Kozak family in the son's first NHL game vs the Jets

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Every time, things happen as they should, the way mom and dad can only dream, fairy tale ending and all.

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That's how it seemed to happen this week to Trevor and Michelle Kozak, the parents of Tyson Kozak, a child who grew up with big dreams in a small town in Manitoba.

As proud as Souris' peacock when Tyson was drafted in the seventh round, 193rd overall, by Buffalo three years ago, the Kozaks watched from afar as their son became a 30-goal scorer in Junior with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, then joined the Sabres. A minor league team in Rochester.

One week ago, Tyson was called up to the NHL for the first time, skating with the Sabers in practice as they lost their third and fourth games in a row.

On Wednesday, it was mom and dad's turn to get a call, from a member of the Sabers staff telling them their son would make his NHL debut on Thursday.

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Team to face: Winnipeg Jets.

“Oh, God,” was Michelle's reaction. “Obviously, we have to be happy for Tyson, but at the same time he's like: 'Go Jets.' A lot of people in my town were like, OK, we're Jets fans, but…”

Soon they had to get to Winnipeg on the 7 o'clock flight. But they had to be quiet, especially for their son because Tyson wouldn't see that he was playing until Thursday morning.

“We found out Wednesday morning and we had to try to keep it as quiet as we could,” said father Trevor.

“It was very difficult not to say anything,” added Michelle. “I swear our whole town knew before Tyson did. We arrived in Nyathi at 2 am. He still didn't say anything. And we didn't know we were in the same hotel as Tyson.”

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Of course, the Kozak team – Trevor and his second wife, Chanlie, Michelle and her partner, Kyle Gosnold, and their daughter Paige – lived two floors below Tyson in the Marriott connected to the city square.

No sweat, unless they bump into each other in the lobby or something crazy like that.

“Fortunately, we ran into him in the lobby,” Trevor said. “When he went to the rink in the morning. He was probably as surprised as we were. He said: 'What are you doing here?'”

The mother narrated it this way: “He looked at us once, but then he continued walking, stopped, turned around, took a second look, went back, and said: 'What are you doing here?' We said: 'What do you think we're doing, Tyson?'

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“And he says: 'Well, I don't know.' Then it clicked: 'Oh my god, I'm playing tonight.' He still didn't know anything. The team didn't tell him.”

If the story ended with that and their son's free performance in the game that night, win or lose, that would be good enough. But it was just the beginning.

First came the rookie skate, with Tyson being sent solo for a few pregame rounds, per tradition.

It was then that the culmination of all the sacrifices they had made and the time they had invested hit home for mom and dad.

“Rookie lap was it,” said Trevor. “A lot of work and dedication just came together. A very proud moment for everyone. “

“I was bawling my eyes out,” said Michelle. “Tyson is a small town kid. He played all of his junior hockey at Souris, with the Cougars. There are no private schools, or any of that kind of stuff. He has worked hard to get where he is. Lots of hours on the rink and in the car.”

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The truth is that Tyson Kozak was the longest running back to ever make it to the NHL. A 5-foot-11, 173-pound junior, he was coming off a three-goal, 18-game season when he was drafted.

As an AHL champion, he scored five goals in 55 games his first year, five in 41 his second.

Five of his 14 players this season have been good enough for the lead, but that's not the only thing that got him called up.

“He's a winner,” Rochester Americans coach Michael Leone told local reporter Nick Rippe that day. “He's going to play a long time and he's going to help someone win.”

What the child lacks in size or finish, it makes up for in discipline and hard work.

“To see a player who can't even play power … talk about doing well,” Leone said. “He was unbelievable. A really good team message: It's a team sport. It's not about points, it's not about praise from others. It's about playing team hockey and winning, and Tyson Kozak is a winner.”

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Fast forward to the end of the second half of Thursday's game, when the Kozak family appeared to be getting a fairytale ending. The Souris kid broke the tie at 2-2, almost sending the team through the roof.

“It's amazing,” said Michelle.

But wait. The Jets contested the goal, saying Connor Hellebuyck was interfered with.

My mom, dad, sister and the rest stopped celebrating from upstairs in their suite, watching the game on the big screen and not worried at all.

“That's not goalie interference,” Michelle thought. “It's definitely a goal.”

Trevor, too, didn't move. His son had just done the unthinkable, he thought, uplifting the entire southern Manitoba community.

“Then the announcement came out,” he said. “It just falls. I don't want to say sh–y, but it was sh–y.”

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Their son's reaction, which was also filmed on the big screen, was not lost on the Kozaks, however. He may have downloaded them.

“You can see the look on his face, it didn't bother him at all,” said the father. “The smile never left his face throughout the game.”

After the game, the Jets won 3-2 in overtime, the kid admitted he was shaking like a leaf going in.

At the time he thought he had scored: “Pure joy and excitement. Time is not real.”

And of course it wasn't.

But the decision, and the loss, did not detract from what he had just accomplished.

“There aren't many hockey players who play in the NHL from small towns,” Tyson said. “So that's a great time for me and my family at home.”

For those watching in Souris, it was a moment that could not be erased by details as small as the official score sheet.

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“Even though they took it away from him, but in our hearts he still got that goal,” said Marilyn Kozak, Tyson's grandmother.

He was laughing.

At times during our Friday conversation, it was the same with my mother and father, who were still riding the roller coaster of emotions two days after leaving rural Manitoba.

“I don't even know how to describe it,” Trevor said of the whole experience. “Just to be happy. Tears were shed for everyone who was up there with us.”

My father was talking to me from the Toronto airport, where he and his daughter Paige were boarding a flight back to Winnipeg. On Monday, it was back to work at the feed mill in Souris.

Mom, however, stayed in Buffalo, long enough to catch another game, Saturday against Utah.

“He doesn't know if he's kidding,” said Michelle. “But I think he's doing good, anyway. So I hope…”

His voice trailed off.

Hopefully? Maybe all this riding is not over yet.

After all, small towns produce big dreams.

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