It only took the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 3 minutes and 11 seconds to score their first goal on Teddy Bear Toss Night. Chase Klassen fired a bullet past Coquitlam Express goalie Connor Mackenzie, and the crowd went wild.
And it was a big crowd, too! More than 1,300 people showed up for the game. That’s more people than they’ve had since 2018.
That meant there were tons of stuffies on the ice after every goal.
The Teddy Bear Toss is an annual charity event put on by hockey teams in Canada and the US. When the home team scores, fans throw teddy bears and other toys onto the ice.
Stuffies from the Teddy Bear Toss will be donated to kids in need in the Alberni Valley.
And there were lots of opportunities to throw those toys! The Bulldogs beat the Express 7-4.
Hot starts typically mean hot games for the Bulldogs. They’ve won every game where they scored first.
But the Express sure made this one interesting. The Bulldogs jumped ahead to a 4-0 lead, but the Express roared back with three straight goals in the 2nd.
The Bulldogs scored another 3 in the 3rd, including Josh Zary’s shorthanded empty-netter in the game’s last minutes.
Hobie Hedquist stopped 30 shots for his 9th win of the season.
You can watch the highlights here:
