Geneva, Illinois is gearing up for one of the most exciting traditions in junior hockey.
The Chicago Steel will host the team's 10th Annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Geneva Family Dental on Friday at 7:05 Pm against the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Chicago will head to Dubuque to take on the Fighting Saints the following night.
Fans are encouraged to bring new or unused teddy bears on Friday to toss on the ice after the first Steel goal. All teddy bears will be donated to charity.
Over the last nine seasons, Steel fans have tossed over 3,000 teddy bears onto the ice as part of the team's annual tradition. Stuffed animals from this year’s game will be donated to several local charities including the Geneva Police Department, Marklund Hyde Center in Geneva, and Autumn Leaves Memory Care Center of St. Charles.
In last season's Teddy Bear Toss game on March 9, 2024, current Steel forward Ben Yurchuk scored Chicago's first goal to send teddy bears flying onto the ice.
The Steel (15-26-4-1, 35 pts.) secured two points last weekend in a trio of games. Chicago was held in check during a 4-1 loss at Waterloo on Feb. 21 before returning home and earning a 5-2 win over the USA Hockey NTDP on Feb. 22.
Adam Valentini tallied two goals for Chicago and both Hudson Gorski and Tobias Ohman recorded two assists in the win.
The Steel hosted Green Bay the following day and had a 3-2 lead at one point but surrendered four unanswered goals to fall 6-3.
Steel forward Kolin Sisson enters the weekend with a three-game goal streak. The assistant captain leads the team in goals (18) as well as shots (98) and shooting percentage (18.4%). He has scored the second-most power play goals for Chicago (4), just one behind first-year forward Teddy Mutryn.
Reid Conn has been prominent on the scoresheet in February, having tallied a point in all but three games so far this month. He posted a goal and an assist last weekend and has scored a goal in three of the last six games. He leads Steel defensemen in points (19), goals (7), and shots (61).
The Fighting Saints (31-14-0-2, 64 pts.) lead the Eastern Conference and are on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot. They dropped a pair of games at the USA Hockey NTDP U18 team last weekend. The Fighting Saints trailed 3-1 on Feb. 21 and kept the game close, getting within one after an early power play goal in the third before falling 4-3. The following night was a back-and-forth affair, with each team trading goals before an NTDP power play goal with 1:23 left in regulation took the game to overtime and an eventual shootout.
Both teams scored in the second round before the NTDP won it in the seventh round to secure a 4-3 win. It’s only the fourth time this season Dubuque has lost consecutive games, and they have not lost more than two games in a row this season.
Dubuque’s goaltending tandem of Liam Beerman and Jan Spunar have contributed to much of the team’s success this year. Beerman ranks second among USHL netminders in save percentage (.914) and 12th in goals against average (2.73).
In 16 appearances this season, Beerman has lost just once (11-1-0-2), with the single regulation loss coming back on October 5. Spunar ranks second in saves (862), fourth in wins (19) and minutes played (1,820), and fifth in save percentage (.911 %). His 2.77 goals against average is 13th.
Forward Lukas Van Vliet ranks third in scoring for Dubuque with 32 points and has found the scoresheet in seven of his last eight games. During his hot stretch, the Vegas Golden Knights (2024) prospect has scored three goals and six assists. He has recorded 123 shots this season, the second-most for Dubuque, and has the most power play assists on the team (11).
Dubuque’s magic number to clinch a Clark Cup Playoff spot sits at five coming into Friday’s matchup.