It took a tremendous team effort to grant 7-year-old Sarah’s wish of traveling to Boston from her Iowa home to see her friend – her hero – become the shooting star of his college hockey team. Yet thanks to that teamwork, the wish proved to be a winning one for everyone involved, especially for Sarah.

Sarah’s wish was to surprise her favorite hometown hockey player and friend, Peter MacArthur, who attends BostonUniversity and plays hockey for the BU Terriers. Sarah, who has battled a life-threatening medical condition from an early age, first bonded with Peter when she was in the hospital recovering from an operation and he visited the hospital with other members of his amateur hockey team, the national champion Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks. The Black Hawks play in the United States Hockey League, the country’s top junior hockey league.

The pair remained in touch during Sarah’s treatments, and when it came time for Sarah to make her wish, the decision was an easy one. “Peter is my hero and inspiration, and I haven’t seen him since he left Waterloo (in 2004), and I miss him,” she said

With the help of Peter’s family, BostonUniversity, the BU hockey team and the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Iowa, Sarah’s wish was granted. Sarah, her family and Peter’s parents surprised Peter by coming to Boston to have dinner before one of his games. Peter, who thought he was going to be dining with a hockey recruit, was touched and surprised that his young friend’s wish was to spend time with him.

“I’m convinced she’s my good luck charm,” Peter said.

From the looks of things, he was right. As a special guest of the university, Sarah watched her shooting star score a short-handed goal and earn three assists in two BU victories over the University of Maine. And during a ceremony at center ice between the first and second periods of the opening game, Peter presented Sarah with a custom-sized Terriers hockey jersey with his name and number on the back.

“If we had all the mental toughness (Sarah) does, we’d never lose a game,” Peter told U.S. College Hockey Online. He then laughed, recalling that there was hardly a dry eye in the house during the jersey presentation ceremony. Sarah, however, sported a winning smile from ear to ear.

Besides the thrill of victory, Sarah, her family and Peter enjoyed star treatment as they toured Boston together, taking in the city on an Old Town Trolley ride and seeing more stars (well, starfish anyway) at the New England Aquarium. The two MVPs lunched at the Hard Rock Café and were on top of the world during dinner at a restaurant on the 52nd story of Boston’s PrudentialTower.

Said Sarah’s mom, Cindee, “This weekend was a dream that we will NEVER forget…it truly made Sarah’s dream come true.”