Northern Michigan University’s mascot on skates, Wildcat Willy, gathers stuffed animals thrown on the ice with his “Santa sack” between the first and second periods of NMU’s hockey game against Michigan Tech on Friday. A near-capacity crowd rained down dozens upon dozens of the toys in the annual Teddy Bear Toss event, which is held by Northern Michigan University Athletics in partnership with the NMU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and The Mining Journal Cheer Club. Wildcat Willy had the help of at least a dozen students and others affiliated with the university to pick up all the donated toys. During the following intermission, fans threw new socks to the ice as part of Sock Toss with those items given to local charities for distribution to needy residents for the upcoming holidays. (Journal photo by Steve Brownlee)