MANDAN, ND – The 4^th annual Teddy Bear Toss game for the University of Mary Hockey team is set for Saturday, December 3 against Minot State University. The puck will drop at 7 pm from the Starion Sports Complex in Mandan and fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears to the game that will go to benefit children afterward.
 
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
The Marauders Hockey team has paired up with the UMary Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for donations of teddy bears. When the Marauders score their first goal of the contest, fans are then encouraged to immediately throw their teddy bears onto the ice. All stuffed animals will then be collected and donated to local children just in time for the holidays as a part of the Community Action Program's Backpack for Kids.  
 
Backpack for Kids was developed to address the need for food for children identified as being homeless or at risk in the Bismarck/Mandan area. "Kid-friendly" foods such as cereal, granola/yogurt bars, fruit cups, applesauce, pudding, canned dinners, peanut butter, jelly, and bread are given to the kids. The food packs are delivered to the schools every other week. The school distributes them to children in need. Community Action works together with the schools to determine who is in need.
 
BATTLE OF THE NUMBER ONE'S
Apart from the cause, fans can enjoy a good hockey matchup between the number-one ranked teams in the ACHA M1 in visiting Minot State, and ACHA M2 in UMary. The Marauders and Beavers will square off in a two-game series this weekend, beginning Friday night at 7:30 in Minot.
 
The Marauders retake the #1 ranking in the ACHA M2 polls this week from Montana State and have enjoyed an impressive first half of their season thus far. The two-time defending ACHA M2 national champion Marauders are 17-2-1 heading into this weekend.
 
Captain Johnny Witzke leads the Marauders in total points with 18 on six goals and a tied-team-high 12 assists. Seth Cushing leads with eight scored goals and adds nine assists for the team-second 17 total points. Reigning national player of the year Kyle Hayden has been defiant in the net for the Marauders with a 12-0-1 record and an outstanding save percentage of 0.979.
 
The Beavers enter the weekend having won all 12 of their contests so far this season. Carter Barley has credited the most Beaver points with 21 on eight goals and 13 assists. Joey Moffatt and Landyn Cochrane have both scored the most goals for Minot State with nine each.  
 
TICKETS
Game tickets for Marauders athletics are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com and at the gate for all UMary athletics. Adult tickets for hockey are $10 + fees while senior citizen and youth tickets (13-18 years old) are $5 + fees when purchased online at www.umarytickets.com. Tickets purchased at the gate are $15 (cash only) for adults and $10 for seniors and youth 13-18.
 
UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard and youth 12 and younger are admitted free.
 
Please note that ticket sales at the gate are CASH ONLY purchases. If needed, ATMs are located by the ticket gate at the Starion Sports Complex Schwan Cadillac Rink.
 
Fans receive a discounted rate on tickets when purchased online at www.umarytickets.com than at the gate. Fans are also able to purchase tickets using credit and debit cards when ordering online while sales at the ticket booth are cash only.
 
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