BIDDEFORD, Maine -- On what would have been the day (Feb. 13) for the in-person 5th Annual Teddy Bear Toss games at the University of New England, the Harold Alfond Forum Student Building Managers re-imagined the event into a Virtual Teddy Bear Toss 4.5 celebration, in conjunction with a Blue-White intrasquad scrimmage featuring both the women's and men's Nor'easter ice hockey teams.

Normally, the first goals scored by UNE's teams in a Teddy Bear Toss game would prompt fans in attendance to toss thousands of stuffed animals onto the ice. Those, and more, would then be donated to the United Way of York County for distribution to local agencies, along with a financial contribution to the organization.

As a substitute for the remote audience, the Forum Student Building Managers had all 887 seats in the arena occupied by stuffed animals on Saturday. They were part of the more than 2,500 collected for donation, bringing the event's five-year total north of 12,000 stuffed animals. The Forum Student Building Managers also raised upwards of $4,250 for the United Way of York County, and organized more than 20 raffle prizes which were announced during the game.

On the ice, the Blue Team held a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes of running time for the women's squad. Shannon Upton was credited with the Teddy Bear Toss Goal at the 18:30 mark, with assists from Piper Desorcie and Elizabeth Walsh. Shannon Nadeau netted an unassisted tally to double the cushion six minutes later.

That two-goal margin for the Blue Team carried over into the men's portion, but the White Team managed to pull back even in less than 20 minutes. Logan DiScanio scored the Teddy Bear Toss Goal with 5:29 gone, using a feed from Chris Jones to find an open lane to the cage. Justin Dixson then made it 2-2 with an assist from Alex Sheehy.

The deciding marker for the Blue Team (3-2) came with just 2:45 remaining, as Jared Christy put a one-time finish into the net off a feed from Liam Darcy.

Watch the event replay