Despite the deficit the Checkers wouldn’t roll over, though, and Sandis Vilmanis lit the lamp early on in the second to spark the home side. That triggered the annual Teddy Bear Toss, which saw over 6,000 stuffed animals thrown onto the ice that will be donated to local organizations courtesy of the Checkers and Novant Health.
After a quick delay to collect the teddy bears, Gracyn Sawchyn rode the momentum and found the back of the net himself to narrow Toronto’s lead to one. The Marlies countered late in the middle frame, but the Checkers pushed back hard in the third. Ben Steeves converted on a power-play chance midway through the period to pull his team back within one, and Charlotte tilted the ice in its favor from there - outshooting the Marlies 18-3 in the third. The Checkers couldn’t quite solve Toronto’s goaltending, however, and an empty-netter in the waning moments of regulation sealed their defeat.
TEDDY TOSS ENGAGE pic.twitter.com/65qsHZgpJG
— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) November 29, 2025
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the status of Mackenzie EntwistleI’m not sure. Obviously it’s unfortunate to lose someone first shift. He’d been playing good hockey, too. We’ll see how he is.
Kinnear on the first period
I don’t know if the hit put us back a little bit, or lacking emotion or intensity going into the game. For me, we didn’t respect the opponent at the start. It’s a really good hockey team and well coached over there. As a group, including myself, we weren’t’ ready to start the game. Ultimately that cost us a win.
Kinnear on the rest of the game
Even in the second period, it was a little chaotic at times, but we were skating and you saw the identity a little bit more. We won the period. We were chasing it a little bit, but you like the dig in by everybody. I thought they all emptied the tank, which was important. Lesson learned. It’s a long season and you want to make sure you learn lessons along the way. We learned a good one today.
Kinnear on defensemen joining the rush on Vilmanis’ goal
It's just how we play. It’s an important part of our group and how we play. We were just watching the game in the first period, but credit to the other team. I thought they had intent to their start, they got to their agenda and we were kind of watching the game being played. Again, they’re going to have an answer. They didn’t like their game yesterday, and we have to do a better job, including the coaches, of getting the guys ready and understanding to respect the opponent and what you’re going to get.
