It’s a battle of badges.
“This is our second annual Heroes on Ice hockey game between London police and the London Fire Department,” said Scott Miller, a London firefighter and co-organizer of the game at Canada Life Place.
“We’re raising funds for the Children’s Health Foundation and for kids when they’re stuck there, and also for funding for the families and make it a little easier for them,” he explained.
The 2025 game was the first of what is a now an annual contest. The London Police Service (LPS) won 5-4 in a shootout in front of more than 1,000 fans.
This year they are hoping to get a bigger crowd but need a last-minute push.
It’s impressive that the firefighters kept the game close as the police side have a talented roster.
“We’ve got a couple guys here that played for the Knights, which is kind of cool,” said AJ Perry, a former London Knight who played four seasons in the OHL before turning professional.
They also boast Memorial Cup champion Ryan Martinelli, and the London Nationals all-time leading goal scorer Aaron Dartch.
“We also have some guys have played some college hockey,” said Perry. “We don’t really play too much anymore and we’re getting old, so we’re just happy to get out there.”
Evan Harrison is leading the organization of the LPS squad.
“Our roster is pretty stacked,” said Harrison. “We’re pretty fast and we’re just excited to get back out and try and win again.”
The LPS team has a league within their own police service. They also put a team together to go in an international tournament.
The London firefighters’ team is no slouch either. With 400 members to choose from, they have a few ex-junior players like Kyle Spurr and Ryan Tuffin and Jonathan Sims. They also have Craig Dalrymple the former captain of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
“We just started to pick some of our better players and then try to get everyone available for the game shift trades,” said Miller. “We had a couple skates together beforehand, and we also do a couple tournaments a year, just try to be as competitive as possible.”
Tickets for the Saturday afternoon matinee are just $10 and can be purchased online.
“No pun intended, there’s definitely a competitive fire in both of us,” said Harrison. “As police [service members], we’re looking at kind of put out fire and win again.”