The Battle of the Badges is back this year and hoping to raise some more money for a local charity. Members of the Strathmore RCMP will battle it out on the ice with members of the Strathmore FIRE Department and this year there is an exciting addition, the Wheatland EMS team will be joining the battle! There are four players from Wheatland EMS that will be drafted to either the Strathmore RCMP team or the Strathmore Fire Department team. Since the Strathmore RCMP lost last year, they have been granted first draft pick and a video of the draft will be posted on the Battle of the Badges Facebook page at a later date.

Dave Ramsay from Team Fire Department took a friendly jab at his opposition and said, "I think they might actually try and get three of the players because the EMS players are quite good and the RCMP might need a little bit of help."

Randy Romkey from the Strathmore RCMP explained what the Battle of the Badges is all about, "Battle of the Badges is a community event that we're hoping to raise some money for our local charity and this year I believe it is going to be School Fuel, so we're really excited to be able to raise some money for that charity."

The game will take place on April 5 this year and doors will open at 3 p.m. and puck drop at 3:30 p.m. with a possible tailgate party before the game according to Ramsay from the Strathmore Fire Department. Todd DePagie with the Strathmore RCMP said, "we're going to have some fun activities going on between the periods this year, trying to tighten up the schedule a little bit more to keep the flow going a little bit better. After the game, we're going to have a family skate this year. So following the game, we'll invite families and all the kids that show up to come on the ice and skate with some of the first responders."

When it comes down to strategy to get the win, Romkey from Team RCMP said, "RCMP is going to be doing some practicing before the game as opposed to just allowing Fire to do all the practicing, so I think that's our main strategy this year." Team Fire Department has brought on a new coach this year, Erica Barnson and she has some ideas to bring to the table to get the department the win. "Practice never stops. Continuous repetition, and also it's really hard for the other team to win if there's no air in their tires," said Barnson. A good friendly rivalry is already building between the two teams and there are still a few months to go till game day.

If you're looking to support the Battle of the Badges you can email botbstrathmore@gmail.com