The London Knights’ 17th annual Teddy Bear Toss game, presented by your local London SunLife Financial, was once again a success this season, as 9,431 bears and other stuffed toys flooded the ice during the Knights’ game on December 2 against the North Bay Battalion.
Down 1-0 halfway through the first period, Sam Miletic found Cliff Pu in front of the net who then buried it to send the stuffed toys showering onto the ice. This year’s total increased from last year’s total of 9,220 bears.
Down 2-1 with 13:52 remaining in the third period, Alex Formenton found a puck through traffic and redirected it in to knot the game at two goals a side. In overtime, Formention and St. Louis Blues prospect, Robert Thomas, showed off their chemistry as they displayed a nifty passing play before Thomas sealed the game to give the Knights the 3-2 victory in overtime. Thomas was named the game’s first star with a goal and two assists in the contest while extending his points streak to eight games in the process.
The win marked the 700th career regular season win for Head Coach Dale Hunter, who becomes just the third coach in OHL history to reach the milestone. He also becomes the fastest coach to reach the feat, having taken the coaching reigns for the Knights back in 2002. He now trails just Bert Templeton, who has 907 wins, and Brian Kilrea, who has 1193 wins, on the all-time wins list in the OHL.
www.londonknights.com
By Gavin Corcelli
