Heartlanders host Teddy Bear Toss Night Saturday

Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Heartlanders, proud ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild, get set for the annual Teddy Bear Toss, pres. by DASH Auctions against the Toledo Walleye Saturday at 6:05 p.m.

Iowa played their first home game in a month Friday vs. Toledo and fell, 4-3. The Heartlanders had a franchise-record six-game home winning streak snapped (plus a seven-game home points streak).

The Walleye meanwhile won their fourth straight road game Friday.

The Heartlanders are third in the Central Division with a 10-9-3-1 record (24 points). Toledo is first in the division with a 14-4-1-2 record (31 points).

At Saturday’s Teddy Bear Toss, the Heartlanders will wear specialty holiday jerseys available for auction on the DASH Auctions app. Fans are encouraged to bring Teddy Bears to throw on the ice after Iowa’s first goal, which will be donated to local charitable organizations helping those in need this holiday season. 

On Sun., Dec. 17 at 2:05 p.m., the Heartlanders take on Toledo for Elementary School Day, pres. by MidWestOne Bank. The day also features a postgame skate pres. by The Family Dental Center.

Promotion: Teddy Bear Toss, presented by DASH Auctions

 

Get tickets for Heartlanders Home games: Iowaheartlanders.com/tickets

Game Day Guide: 
5:05 PM: Doors Open
5:55 PM: Be In Your Seats For Pregame Show 
6:05 PM: Puck Drop

Bag Policy: Xtream Arena will implement a clear bag policy for all ticketed events.  A clear 12” x 6” x 12” bag or smaller will be permitted as well as small clutch style purses or wallets. Patrons will be asked to return any bag that does not meet this criteria to their vehicle prior to entry. Diaper bags or medical bags are allowed to exceed that size limit, but will be searched. Small clutch style purses or wallets no larger than 4.5” x 6.5” are permitted as well.

Need to know
- Davis Koch has scored the game’s first goal six this campaign and registered his fifth multi-goal game of the campaign Friday. 

- Iowa is the only team to outshoot Toledo this season and tied the Walleye with 31 shots Friday in defeat.

- The Heartlanders trailed Cincinnati by one point for second in the Central Division.

Affiliates: Iowa Heartlanders (Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild) | Toledo Walleye (Detroit Red Wings/Grand Rapids Griffins)

Scouting Toledo 

The Walleye have once again emerged as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams, scoring 4.4 goals/game. Toledo has ranked in the league’s top-ten in goals over their last eight seasons played (team did not play in 2020-21 season). 

Forward Brandon Hawkins leads the ECHL in goals (155) and points (306) since he broke into the league in 2019-20 (stats include playoffs). He has 51 more goals than the next closest player in that span (Blake Winiecki, 104). Amazingly, he has nearly 500 more shots on goal over that same span since joining the league. This season, Hawkins leads the Fish with 28 points (13g).

Settling in at 6

The Heartlanders and Walleye meet Saturday in the first-ever 6:05 p.m. game at Xtream Arena. The Heartlanders are 2-0-0-0 at home this season on Saturday games; the previous two started at 7:05 p.m. 

Iowa plays 11 Saturday home games this season. Overall, Iowa is 3-3-1-0 in Saturday contests this campaign.

Teddy Bear Toss Tradition 

The Teddy Bear Toss is a popular promotion in minor league and junior hockey in which fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears to a game and throw them on the ice after the home team scores its first goal. All bears thrown on the ice for the Heartlanders Teddy Toss will be donated to Toys For Tots for those in need this holiday season.

Cole Stallard scored the first-ever Heartlanders Teddy Bear Toss goal in December 2021 vs. Toledo in an eventual shootout victory for Iowa. Last season against Kalamazoo, forward Logan J. Nelson scored the teddy-bear-toss goal.

The first ever Teddy Bear Toss originated in 1993 with the Kamloops Blazers (WHL); future NHL defenseman Brad Lukowich scored and fans threw more than 2,400 bears on the ice. The record for most Bears thrown on the ice is held, coincidentally, by the Hershey Bears (AHL). In January 2023, fans tossed 67,309 bears onto the ice.

Next up
On Sun., Dec. 17 at 2:05 p.m., the Heartlanders take on Toledo for Elementary School Day, pres. by MidWestOne Bank with a postgame skate pres. by The Family Dental Center.

Rose Club Memberships & Tickets Now Available For 2023-24 Season
Rose Club Season Ticket Memberships, Partial Plans, Mini-Plans, Flex Tickets and Single-Game Tickets are now available for the 2023-24 season, the Heartlanders’ third in the ECHL. Call 319-569-GOAL or visit iowaheartlanders.com/tickets for more information.