Zach Tisdale, right, runs around Andrew Niederlander, of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit, during the annual Butler County Special Olympics floor hockey scrimmage against local law enforcement Tuesday, Feb. 7, evening at McQuistion Elementary School in Butler Township. Jared Todhunter/Special to the Eagle

BUTLER TWP — Tuesdays are always scrimmage nights for the Butler County Special Olympics floor hockey team. Only Tuesday’s scrimmage this week was a little bit different.

The team squared off against a group of law enforcement officers in the McQuistion Elementary School gym on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The scrimmage helped the team get ready for its tournament March 4 and 5 in York, Pa.

“A lot of the officers here tonight are involved with the Law Enforcement Torch Run (a fundraising effort by the officers to raise money for Special Olympics),” said Melissa Spohn, floor hockey coach with the county Special Olympics. “We’ve been putting this scrimmage with them together annually for a while now.

“Our team gets really pumped up for this. They love playing against them. This is far different from our regular scrimmage nights. I like the fact that the officers get a chance to see where that fundraising money is going.”

Approximately 20 county Special Olympics floor hockey players took on 20 to 25 law enforcement officers. Among departments represented on the gym floor were the Butler County sheriff’s and probation offices, Butler Township, Butler city and Penn Township police and Pennsylvania state troopers.

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