Freeze!
The NYPD and LAPD ice hockey teams will square off for the first time in department history when a cross-country battle of the blue lines gets underway at 3:45 p.m. Saturday at The Rinx in Hauppauge.
“We’ll see what kind of rivalry we get going,” NYPD captain George Antzoulis told The Post.
“Two huge police forces that everyone always compares to each other,” added the defenseman, who hopes for a rematch in Los Angeles next year.
New York’s Finest are riding a high since March, when they beat archrival FDNY 3-2 for their first win over the Bravest in a decade.
An internationally viral line brawl also defined the game at UBS Arena, where Antzoulis threw haymakers.
The jury is out on how often the gloves will drop Saturday.
“I’m sure the fact that they’re cops and not firemen probably makes it a little better, but, I mean, to be determined,” he said, laughing. “There’s definitely hitting. So all it takes is a little bit of a bigger hit, and it’s a free-for-all.”
One thing that’s a definite given is that both New York and Los Angeles will throw everything they’ve got on the line and put on a show as brothers of the badge while protecting and serving the puck.
“A lot of us are all still working long days and nights right before leading up to that game,” Antzoulis said. “There’s going to be guys that are coming off a midnight shift and going straight to the rink.”
