The Nipawin Hawks will face-off with the Melville Millionaires Sunday at Centennial Arena. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW)
Teddy Bear Toss

Hawks host Millionaires for Teddy bear Toss matinee

Dec 4, 2022 | 11:43 AM

The Nipawin Hawks will host the Melville Millionaires for a matinee affair at the Centennial Arena Sunday afternoon.

The team is searching for their third straight win over the Millionaires that started last Sunday in Melville with a 3-2 Hawks victory. Nipawin downed the Milllionaires 5-3 at the ‘Cage’ on Wednesday. Hawks centreman Chase Visser scored early in his Nipawin debut in the win. Head Coach Tad Kozun said he was impressed with the 19-year-olds first effort in the black-and-gold.

“You can see what kind of hockey player he is,” Kozun said after Visser’s debut on Wednesday evening. “He’s going to be a really good Nipawin Hawk. We’re really excited to have him. The speed and skillset he has is a huge addition to our lineup.”

The team will get their first look at another newcomer this afternoon when Jovan Malay makes his debut. The 2002-born forward was acquired from Dauphin earlier this week.

“We’re looking forward to seeing his first action and seeing what he can do in the lineup as well,” Kozun quipped.

The game is also the Hawks’ annual Teddy Bear Toss and Food Drive for the Salvation Army in Nipawin. When Nipawin scores their first goal fans are encouraged to throw donated stuffed animals onto the ice. Fans are also invited to donate non-perishable food items. The local Salvation Army will make sure the donations end up in the right hands for the holiday season. Kozun said these games are highlights of the year and bring the best out of players across junior hockey.

“Everybody always wants to score the Teddy Bear goal, the guys will be jacked up. It’s always a fun thing and it’s nice to be able to do these games and then give the stuff away at Christmas, it’s really special,” he said.

Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.

clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork

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