20th Anniversary New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss This Saturday

The 20th Anniversary New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss is set for this Saturday night at the Adirondack Bank Center at 7 p.m. and this year's will be a big game. The game is against #4 ranked and undefeated Geneseo, which the Utica Pioneers are tied with at the top of the UCHC.  Both Utica and Geneseo are 6-0 in conference play.

Here's how the New York Sash Teddy Bear Toss game works. Bring at least one new, unwrapped teddy bear or stuffed animal to the game and when the Pioneers score their first goal, fans can throw their stuffed animals on to the ice. New York Sash collects the toys and transports them to their showroom on Oriskany Blvd. in Whitesboro, where they're counted and distributed to charities throughout Utica, Rome and the Mohawk Valley.

Each year for the last 20, fans through an average of 4,000 to 5,000 teddy bears onto the ice for children in need.  It's estimated that over the last 20-years, more than 80,000 stuffed animals have been thrown on the ice and donated to local charities.

New York Sash's Scot and Kill Hayes and Utica Head Coach Gary Heenan remind season ticket holders that if they can't make it to this Saturday's game, it's important to make sure someone uses your tickets and they bring at least one stuffed animal per person in order to make the night special for local children.