CHICOPEE, Mass. — A local rivalry will be renewed on the ice Saturday for the annual Battle of the Badges hockey game between the Chicopee Police and Fire Department.

"It's a charity game that raises funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicopee," said Chicopee Fire Department Public Information Officer Katie Collins-Kalbaugh. "And also for a Battle of the Badges Scholarship that students at Chicopee Comprehensive and Chicopee High School are eligible to apply for."

This year’s game comes with a little more meaning.

Because in 2023 Chicopee Police Officer Mark Wilkes was hospitalized after suffering two heart attacks after playing in the Battle of the Badges.

"He spent quite a bit of time, I believe it was 72 days, in the hospital," said Chicopee Police Department Public Information Officer Travis Odiorne. "He had a lot to overcome from that. Luckily now he is retired and is doing a lot better."

Wilkes spent a lot of his time as a Chicopee police officer in the Willimansett area.

"He was at the boys and girls club frequently," Odiorne said. "Checking in with the kids, checking in with the staff. He was always down there. You could catch him playing basketball with the kids in the afternoon on nice sunny days. Every time he would be in the parking lot the kids would wave as they were running out of the building. The people in Willimansett really liked Mark, he was a very approachable guy."

Officer Travis Odiorne said Wilkes will be on the ice Saturday to drop the puck.

But Battle of the Badges is bigger than just a hockey game — it's the building of a connection between members of the public safety complex and residents of Chicopee.

"Last year was a perfect example," said Odiorne.  "We battled on the ice for three hard hours and then at the end of the night. Guys were tired, and then that bell came up, Mark called for help, and everybody responded. Police and Fire we worked as a team, we got him the care that he needed, got him to the hospital which ultimately saved his life."

The Police vs. Fire Battle of the Badges game is Saturday at the Fitzpatrick Arena in Holyoke at 4 p.m. Fittingly, the money it raises will go to the Chicopee Boys and girls club.