A 34-year-old man who was killed last weekend trying to stop an alleged thief in Alberta has been identified as a father-of-three from B.C.’s Fraser Valley.

Mounties said Abbotsford resident Nikkolas Steenhuisen walked out of a hardware store in Grande Prairie and found a stranger inside his truck on Saturday.

“Steenhuisen confronted the unknown man who fled to another truck and attempted to drive away,” the RMCP said in a statement.

Steenhuisen tried to stop him, Mounties said, but the suspect crashed into a parked car while trying to escape, leaving the father-of-three pinned between the two vehicles.

The victim, who was in Alberta visiting family, was airlifted to hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital.

Later the same day, Mounties found a burned-out pickup truck in a rural area outside Grande Prairie. Investigators have since determined it was the stolen truck involved in the incident with Steenhuisen.

After gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses, police identified and arrested a suspect Tuesday.

Michael Ginter, a 30-year-old Grande Prairie resident, has since been charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of possession of property obtained by crime exceeding $5,000.

Ginter remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning.

Known to his friends as Nikko, Steenhuisen is being remembered as a dedicated father and beloved volunteer.

He was well-known in the hockey community in Abbotsford and Mission, and helped out as a trainer with the Mission City Outlaws, a Junior B team.

“"He was definitely an unsung hero... A definition of what that is. He didn't get a whole of of recognition but everyone on the team knew he was there,” said the team’s goalie, Jeffrey Veitch.

The team’s public relations coordinator, Chris Thompson, said the team has been struggling emotionally since news of the death.

“A devastating loss, you know?” she said. Who does such a thing? They didn’t know he was a dad.”

Just a few months ago, Steenhuisen watched as his boys won it all at the 2016 PJHL championships.

Thompson said while the win was huge for the boys, Nikko “was more emotional than anyone else.”

The team’s GM and President, Scott Kieler, agrees.

“He wanted a championship and he helped me get there and the boys did it for him,” he said.

Friends of the victim plan to set up a CIBC trust account for Steenhuisen's wife and daughters, but in the meantime they ask that any donations be made by e-transfer to 4nikkosgirls.outlawshockey@gmail.com. A Facebook page has also been set up in his memory, with details about the fundraiser.