Brandon Wheat Kings forward Ridly Greig beat Moose Jaw Warriors goaltender Adam Evanoff at just 2:59 into the 1st period, triggering one of the most fun and memorable moments of the Brandon Wheat Kings’ season in the club’s annual Teddy Bear and Toque Toss at Westoba Place on Friday night.
Fans attending the game had been asked to bring a new teddy bear, stuffed animal or toque to the rink as part of the annual tradition and to litter the ice after the home club scores its first goal. When collected, the donations were to be delivered by Santa himself to the local Christmas Cheer Board.
The goal was the first of the game, giving the BWK an early 1-0 lead. With bears collected from the ice, play continued in what was a key matchup for both the Wheat Kings and Warriors as both clubs play their final stretch of games before the holiday break. The homeside wound up winning in an 11-1 landslide. Brandon plays one final game before Christmas on Tuesday night in Winnipeg against the ICE. Following that the club won’t return to the ice until December 27th’s home game against Winnipeg.
The exact number of bears donated on Friday was not yet known, with last year having seen a record 2901 hit the ice.