They may not spend much time at the firing range, but New Haven’s firefighters clearly outshot the Police Department on the ice Saturday at Yale’s Ingalls Rink, taking the Chief’s Cup benefit hockey game by a score of 9 to 4.
The annual grudge match between the city’s uniformed services also scored big in fundraising, with about 2,000 people paying the $10 admission to help needy cops and firefighters and their families and pay tribute to outstanding men and women in uniform.
“This is our chance to give them some recognition,” said Police Department Lt. Pat Redding, an organizer of the event. “We’re friendly, but this is a very competitive game.” Redding said his money was on the cops, although “the firefighters have much more time to work out, and they eat a lot more.”
The heat was on the Bravest after losing last year and trailing the cops 5 – 4 in overall match-ups since the event began in 1997. And the Finest opened with a fast, aggressive game, taking almost twice the number of shots on goal in the first period than the firefighters and scoring the first point only 3 minutes in.
But Firefighter John Twohill’s laser aim and four goals helped put the Bravest on course to a triumph and got him named Player of the Game. Firefighter Pat Cannon also kept the cops at bay in goal. A blistering slap shot from Brian Leddy closed the deal for the Bravest at 9 – 4 near the end of the third period.
The final score was secondary to players like Firefighter Ken Goodale, 33, the third generation of his family to fight fires and the second generation to take the ice for the Bravest. “It’s the camaraderie outside of work,” Goodale said when asked why he played. “It’s a nice stress reliever. It’s all for a good cause and it’s a great family atmosphere.”
Many of the players know each other from years of youth hockey and see each other regularly on calls in the city. But the game still featured all the thrills of a regular hockey — body checks, slaps shots, scuffles — and even a wild puck that hit a spectator. (She was taken away by ambulance but not seriously hurt, according to firefighters who took care of her.) 
“Hockey, it’s a great sport,” said 11-year-old Conor Hynes of Madison, [pictured] at the game with his grandfather, a retired firefighter. “To see them play, it’s amazing, but there’s not enough violence,” he added with a laugh.
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