The Hawks and Bruins will faceoff in back-to-back games this weekend in Nipawin. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Teddy Bear Toss

Bruins visit Nipawin on Teddy Bear toss night

Dec 6, 2024 | 9:31 AM

How fitting the Estevan Bruins take on the Hawks in Nipawin’s annual Teddy Bear toss and food drive game on Friday at the Centennial Arena.

A staple for western Canada’s junior ‘A’ and major junior teams, fans are encouraged to throw new or gentle used Teddy Bears onto the ice that will be donated to local charities. Nipawin Head Coach Tad Kozun said the game is always circled on players calendars.

“It’s always a highlight for sure,” he said, ahead of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) team’s game day meeting. “If you are the guy that gets the Teddy Bear goal for the year, you’ll remember that one for a long time. Plus, many of the guys are playing in front of their parents for the first time this weekend, it’s going to be an exciting weekend at a packed Cage.”

On the ice, the Hawks are coming off a 3-1 loss in La Ronge on Tuesday. Kozun said he didn’t love the effort his group put forward against the Ice Wolves, but they had a positive couple days.

“The team went curling on Wednesday, about three of the guys had tried before, I wish we would have had a camera out there, it would have been comical. It was nice to take the edge off for a day, then we had a hard practice yesterday, now we must be ready for the weekend,” he said.

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Estevan began their week on Wednesday with a 5-1 loss to Melfort. Nipawin and Estevan have met once this year, the Hawks won 5-4 in overtime after Carter Anderson scored at Affinity Place on Oct. 4. Kozun said he expects the Bruins to be a better group than the one that fell in Melfort.

“I watched the game, and I expect Estevan to bring more than they did on Wednesday. There are no easy nights in this league, and they will be raring to go. We must be ready to put in a full 60-minute effort,” he added.

It’s parent-billet weekend for the back-to-back games against Estevan. The team’s Calcutta shootout fundraiser will also take place. Players will be auctioned off Friday during the game and after Saturday’s contest bragging rights will be on the line among the players and coaches.

Faceoff for both games is 7 p.m. at the Centennial Arena.