It was Teddy Bear Toss Night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night. The Hershey Bears hosted the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Giant Center with teddy bears waiting to be thrown on the ice. Hershey set a new record for plush items thrown on the ice with 74,599 in total collected. Bogdan Trineyev scored in the second period to send the fur flying and end the shutout woes. The home fans left happy as Alex Limoges scored in overtime for a 3-2 win for the Bears.
Teddy Terror
Last season, the Bears were blanked on home ice on this special night. This year’s group was determined not to allow history to repeat itself, but it was a tough task. Neither team scored in the first period, and in a rule change, the toss would happen at second intermission should it remain so. Bears forward Mike Vecchione guaranteed a goal during an interview at intermission for fans to hear, and the team delivered. Trineyev, inserted back into the lineup for Sunday’s game, scored his fifth goal of the season on a sharp angle to deliver “Sweet, Cuddly Mayhem”.
The fans delivered on the team’s reputation for plush excellence. Bears players dove into massive piles of teddy bears and had a lot of fun with the fans. All told, the count of 74,599 smashed the previous record of 67,309 set a year prior. It’s a fun night that ultimately benefits charity and helps many in needs as part of the Hershey Bears Cares Initiative.
“Last year, we don’t score a goal and see some of the faces of the guys. They were upset about it,” Bears Vice President of Hockey Operations Bryan Helmer said. “When the teddy bears started raining down, the mood changed. It’s about charity and helping people in the community and making them happy. I’ll be honest, I was so mad, but once you’re down collecting bears, you realize it’s more about the community and not about us scoring a goal.”
“It’s quite shocking, you see it on video or on YouTube, but when you’re part of it, it’s amazing,” Nelson said of seeing it in person. “The line Jesse (Liebman, Bears media specialist) gave me, ‘not only did we win, but the children of Pennsylvania won tonight’. I didn’t have my skates on or else I probably would have (jumped into the pile).”
“(Trineyev) has been playing good hockey. He’s built like a power forward where he can skate well, finish checks. He played on the penalty kill for us tonight and did a really good job tonight.”
Back to Work
Both teams had an unusual and lengthy break in the midst of the game. The Bears used the time to rest from the event and enjoy each other’s company. It’s an unusual element of the game. In this particular case, the goal came four minutes and 15 seconds into the second period. The teams simply stopped for the break and emerged to play the remainder of the period, adding another intermission onto the game.
“It is a challenge,” Nelson said. “The two points are huge but we wanted the guys to share the moment with each other. It went well, but it’s hard to focus. The players were joking around, I was in my office. I was actually on Tik Tok or something like that when they said it was eight minutes until we hit the ice. They told me to get focused! Each individual has to prepare themselves the right way, but it was a great night and the guys had fun with it.”
Roaring Back in Overtime
The Phantoms looked to play spoiler after the lengthy break, scoring twice in the second period. Jordy Bellerive and Adam Brooks scored the goals to suddenly create a deficit to erase in the final frame. It was dicey at times, but Mike Sgarbossa tied the game late in the third to send the game to overtime.
“In the third, we made that push and once we scored, had more chances. It was a good game, you’ve got to give them credit for working hard. At that point, the way the game was going, I wanted to get it to overtime to get a point. It ended up working out for us to get the win. I’m a pretty superstitious guy, it was a TV game today and our record there hasn’t been too great. It was a big two points for our hockey team especially losing previously.”
The Bears won the game courtesy of a nice break for Alex Limoges, who took a pass from Ethen Frank and drove to the net. Louie Belpedio did his best to check Limoges, but the puck skipped off the defender’s stick and past Cal Petersen as perhaps the biggest of three important goals on this day.
Gibson’s Great Game
It was a night to remember for Bears goaltender Mitch Gibson, who made his first start at Giant Center on Sunday. Gibson made 22 saves on 24 shots for his second win in a Hershey uniform. He’s been up with the Bears in the absence of Calder Cup MVP Hunter Shepard. His second start this season was a memorable one, with a couple big saves in overtime leading to the goal.
The Bears continue to be perfect in games going beyond sixty minutes. Sunday marked their seventh win in extra time, extending their record to 29-7-0-0. It also marked the midway point of the season, with only seven losses in the team’s first half. Sunday’s win gives the team ten wins in its last eleven games after their win streak was snapped a day prior.
