Fans didn’t have to wait long to part with their teddy bears last night as Napanee’s Josh Murphy scored 2:40 into the Raiders game, giving the cue for spectators to toss stuffed animals onto the ice.
That’s of course if one doesn’t count the month of delays it took the team to finally host their annual teddy bear toss game, which was twice postponed due to weather. It was originally scheduled for Dec. 15. The animals collected will now be donated to those less fortunate in the community.
Murphy’s was the first of seven goals for the Raiders, who sailed to a 7-2 win over the visiting Amherstview Jets. The score was 2-1 Napanee after the opening frame but the home team pulled away in the second with three unanswered goals. They carried that trend into third, adding two more. Zach Wheeler, Griffen Conger, Ryan Casselman and Zach Knapp-Hermer also added singles while Tyler Ignazzitto had two. Jeremy Piazzi earned the win, stopping 33 shots. Alexel Masanko took the loss. Kyle Casford and Aiden Harris scored for the Jets.
Next up for Napanee they’ll welcome the Picton Pirates to the SPC tomorrow evening for a rare Sunday home game. Puck drop is 7 p.m.