Hershey Bears Set Teddy Bear Toss Record With 34,798

Cory LyonsDecember 2, 2018

718 3 minutes read

New record holder for the Teddy Bear Toss with 34,798. Previous record of 28,815 held by Calgary Hitmen in 2015 is shattered. Hershey wins 6-3 with the help of Aaron Ness and Riley Barber.

WE HAVE A NEW WORLD RECORD! 34,798 teddy bears! THANK YOU! #TeddyBearTossHershey #HBH #DefendTheDen pic.twitter.com/Gvk8msCS7K

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 3, 2018

Tonight is a special night in Hershey as the Hershey Bears (9-12-0-1) host the Binghamton Devils (10-10-3-0). This will be one of two times they face each other this season. The reason why this game is so special is it is the Teddy Bear Toss game. Here is a brief history of the teddy bears in Hershey:

A Brief History of Hershey Teddy Bear Tosses

1st Period:

The energy was electric at the Giant Center for the first time in a long time. Fans look forward to this game every year. Binghamton tried to suck the energy out however when Nathan Bastian tipped home a puck that gave the Devils a 1-0 lead.

While we wait, take a look at the Bastian deflection that put the #BingDevils up by one. #HERvsBNG pic.twitter.com/bZ86KuUIP1

— Binghamton Devils (@BingDevils) December 2, 2018

Directly after the goal, Hershey found themselves on the power play. During this time, Mike Sgarbossa rang a puck off of the cross bar and the puck landed right in Riley Barbers lap. Barber made no mistake and sent this crowd into a frenzy. Teddy bears flew all over the rink and the players had their fun. Oh and this goal tied the game 1-1.

Did someone ask for teddy bears!?! @rileybarber94 wants to see them! Power play goal for @TheHersheyBears! Game tied 1-1#TeddyBearToss #Hershey30KChallenge #HBH #HersheyBears #DefendTheDen @CapsOutsider pic.twitter.com/VW3vgck8eS

— Cory Lyons (@CoryLyonsAHL) December 2, 2018

After all of the teddy bears were cleaned off the ice and a long delay, the players headed back to the ice and completed the first period. Shane Gersich banged home an unassisted goal. This gave the Bears a 2-1 lead.

1st Period Shots: HER – 15, BNG – 15

1st Period Scoring:

9:08 – BNG: Nathan Bastian(6) ASST: Michael McLeod(8), Michael Kapla(8)

9:58 – HER: Riley Barber(8) ASST: Mike Sgarbossa(7), Aaron Ness(7)(PP)

11:16 – HER: Shane Gersich(3) ASST: None

2nd Period:

The period was riddled with penalties, including a 5 on 3 man advantage for Binghamton but it was 5 on 5 action that brought this game to be tied. John Quenneville clapped home a one timer for his 6th goal of the season. The primary assist came from Marian Studenic.

With the period coming to an end, Jayson Megna kept the puck in play and threw it on net. Nathan Walker was left alone in front of Devils goaltender Cam Johnson and tipped in the puck with 1.6 seconds left in the period. Hershey went into the locker room with a 3-2 lead.

2nd Period Shots: HER – 7, BNG – 8

2nd Period Scoring:

16:16 – BNG: John Quenneville(6) ASST: Marian Studenic(8), Colton White(5)

19:58 – HER: Nathan Walker(5) ASST: Jayson Megna(2), Riley Barber(9)(PP)

3rd Period:

While on the power play, Hershey had a broken play entering the zone but it worked out in the end. The puck landed in the wheel house of Liam O’Brien in the slot, and he put the puck past Cam Johnson who had no chance. Hershey extended their lead 4-2.

While playing 4 on 4 hockey, Devils forward Marian Studenic crashed the net and was rewarded with a goal. The puck just slid over the line by a hair but cut the lead for Hershey by 1.

Teddy bear hero Riley Barber defended a bad hit on Colby Williams by fighting a much larger man in Brandon Baddock. Both were kicked out of the game with misconducts and a mess of penalties which lead to a 5 on 3 for Hershey. Aaron Ness took advantage and sniped home a perfect corner shot that went over Cam Johnson’s blocker side. This gave Hershey a 5-3 lead.