Celebrating goals in hockey is a common practice, but Nathan Haas’ goal for Regis Jesuit Dec. 9 took it to a new level.
When Haas put a puck past the Fountain Valley goaltender 5 minutes, 13 seconds, into a non-conference game Dec. 7 at Family Sports Center, a barrage of stuffed animals rained down on the ice.
The Raiders collected more than four garbage bags full of teddy bears and other animals to be donated to Children’s Hospital Colorado for the holidays. They went on to an 8-2 victory to improve to 4-0 on the season.
The teddy bear toss wasn’t the first of its kind. Regis Jesuit players were inspired by watching a video posted online of a similar event held by a minor league hockey team in Winnipeg, Canada, in which an estimated 25,000 animals were tossed on the ice following the home team’s first score.
Spreading the word among the Regis Jesuit student body, the stands were full of people holding recently purchased animals, anxious to toss them on the ice.
With the eager crowd chanting “Teddy Bears! Teddy Bears! Teddy Bears!,” Haas finally broke through on assists from Alec Aichinger and Connor Brennan to start a brief deluge from above.
After a brief stoppage to clean up the ice — which was strewn with all colors of bears, SpongeBob SquarePants and more — Regis Jesuit scored twice more in the period, three more times in the second and twice in the third to coast.
Kirk Underwood, Sean Brennan, Tony Tuccy, Carter Alcock, Conner Wigton, Aichinger and Connor Harshman also scored for the Raiders, who had two shorthanded goals and one on the power play.
The Colorado Cutthroats minor league team plans for a similar event at its Dec. 15 game against the Allen Americans at the Denver Coliseum. The Cutthroats plan to give their animals to the Denver Santa Claus Shop to be spread among needy Denver kids.
According to Regis Jesuit coach Dan Woodley, players plan to visit the hospital and give the bears out to kids before Christmas.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
