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South Carolina Stingrays hold Teddy Bear Toss while wearing Hershey Bears inspired jerseys

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The South Carolina Stingrays, the Washington Capitals’ ECHL affiliate, held their annual Teddy Bear Toss game on Sunday.

Just 8:32 into the first period, forward Austin Magera potted a rebound from a Tyson Empey shot past the Trois-Rivieres Lions’ goaltender and brought down clouds of teddy bears and other stuffed animals onto the ice.

It was “sweet cuddly mayhem” to quote the voice of the Hershey Bears, Zack Fisch.

Magera’s strike was the first goal of the game, giving the Stingrays a 1-0 lead. Fans then began heaving thousands of stuffed animals onto the ice at North Charleston Coliseum.

Some of the Stingrays players, including Capitals goaltending prospect Garin Bjorklund, helped clear the ice of the stuffed animals and posed for some photos among the cuddly mess.

The Stingrays say that all of the stuffed animals from this year’s Teddy Bear Toss will be “collected and donated to various non-profits in the South Carolina Lowcountry.”

Magera would get on the board again in the second period to make the game 2-0. He is now tied for second on the team in goal scoring with Tyson Empey at nine goals apiece. The Stingrays would go on to beat the Trois-Rivières Lions 3-2.

Not only did the Stingrays go above and beyond for local charities, they also saluted the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate and the former world record holder for most teddy bears collected during a Teddy Bear Toss game.

The Stingrays wore special chocolate and white jerseys in a nod to Hershey’s branding.

And to help kick off the celebration, the Stingrays had Hershey Bears’ VP of Hockey Operations, Bryan Helmer, drop the ceremonial first puck.

While less heralded than Hershey’s annual event, the South Carolina Stingrays have been holding Teddy Bear Toss games for well over a decade.

Last season, the Stingrays collected a total of 12,380 stuffies for their event — an impressive feat.

The Bears will hold their own Teddy Bear Toss on January 7 against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Headline photo: @SCStingrays/X

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