In what has become an annual event for the Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears, the team hosted the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for their annual Teddy Bear Toss night, which collects teddy bears for local charities. This is the third time since 2014 (they also hosted the Penguins in 2014 and 2015 for the event) the Bears have hosted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Teddy Bear Toss night. After the Bears couldn’t find the back of the net in the opening period, Liam O’Brien broke through at 15:27 in the second period. 

Last season, the Bears collected a record 20,662 bears for charity. On Sunday night they shattered last year’s record with 25,017 stuffed animals. Over the last seven years of this great tradition, Bears fans have donated a total of 116,566 bears to charity.

THANK YOU FANS! We collected 25,017 items!!!! That’s a new record for us!! 🐻🐻 #HBH #TeddyBearTossHershey pic.twitter.com/jXBoA1e4Jy

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 4, 2017

The teddy bears are tossed when the Bears score their first goal, and of all the goals scored by the Bears to initiate the throwing of the stuffed bears, three of the last six have come from defensemen, and of current Hershey players, captain Garrett Mitchell and Chris Bourque have each scored a Teddy Bear Toss goal. Prior to Sunday’s Teddy Bear Toss, the past three goals have come in the first period and a night after beating the Milwaukee Admirals 3-0, the Bears were hoping to give their fans a win on Teddy Bear Toss night.

That three year streak of the Teddy Bear Toss happening in the first period came to an end as fans had to wait at least another period before unleashing the Bears. Fans were still having fun, playing with their teddy bears while cheering on the Hershey Bears just waiting in anticipation for that first goal.

Finally, with 6:33 left in the second period, Hampus Gustafsson got the puck from behind the goal and fed the puck to O’Brien. O’Brien put it in…

Liam O’Brien finally gets Hershey on the board at 15:27 in the second period… pic.twitter.com/IV5tAumEDH

— Michael Marzzacco (@Marswaggo) December 3, 2017

And the teddy bears came raining down!

The Bears would go on to win 4-3 in overtime. You can read our recap from that contest here.

MORE SCENES FROM HERSHEY

Thank you to the 60+ volunteers helping to sort and count all the plush! #HBH #TeddyTossHershey pic.twitter.com/LvzgjJwHwq

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 3, 2017

Another great Teddy Bear toss tonight at the Hershey Bears game. Thank you to everyone who threw a stuffed animal on the ice! pic.twitter.com/pIhIGlQyi0

— Jere Gish (@jeregishWGAL) December 3, 2017

And here come the teddy bears! pic.twitter.com/UBJL52fknS

— Michael Marzzacco (@Marswaggo) December 3, 2017

By Michael Marzzacco
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Teddy'palooza in Hershey. #defendtheden #HBH

A post shared by NoVa Caps (@nova_caps) on Dec 4, 2016 at 4:28pm PST