Bullfrogs’ Grudge Match Continues : Roller hockey: Games against San Diego, which they face in second round of playoffs, have been marked by rough play.

Apologies, Los Angeles Blades. You are no longer the Bullfrogs’ archrival.

Just head south on Interstate 5.

Simply put, the second-round Roller Hockey International playoff series between the San Diego Barracudas (14-12-1, including playoffs) and the top-seeded Bullfrogs (21-5-1, including playoffs), which begins at 7:30 tonight at the San Diego Sports Arena, could be the new series from Hell.

At least, Jeanie Buss’ Blades stuck around the arena to shake hands with the Bullfrogs after Anaheim ended that first-round series Wednesday, winning a mini-game, 3-0, at The Pond. The teams split their home and home games.

Don’t expect to see much of that kind of hand-slapping going on in this series. The teams have been antagonistic all season.

Privately, the Bullfrogs were rooting for the Barracudas to upset Sacramento in that first round series so they would get a second crack at them. San Diego obliged, winning the mini-game at the Arco Arena, 3-2, in the final minute. The Barracudas took the first game of the series, but fell, 7-5, in the regulation game Wednesday night.

The grudge came to a head barely more than a week ago here, where the Barracudas pulled out a 10-9 victory over the Bullfrogs on a goal by Mike Duffey in the final 10 seconds.

The Bullfrogs had seven players with the flu or injuries and the game meant nothing in the standings to either club. Both already had qualified for post-season play. But San Diego Coach Steve Martinson was still seething from a 13-7 loss on July 9, after which he accused the Bullfrogs of taking cheap shots. He publicly warned the Bullfrogs that his team would be seeking big-time physical revenge.

That didn’t set well with the Bullfrogs and when the Barracudas took to the boards hard and early, tempers flared. There were 50 minutes in penalties called and two players ejected.

Martinson now says it might have been a mistake to attack the Bullfrogs like that.

“Unfortunately, the way that game went with all the power plays and major penalties it got into a shoot-out,” he said. “Against a talented team like Anaheim, I don’t know if it was such a good idea for our guys to get away from playing a more disciplined game.

“Everyone just wanted to score and it became a game of special teams, a hard physical game, not a disciplined game.”

Bullfrog Coach Grant Sonier was livid, calling the loss to San Diego the “most frustrating hockey game I have ever been associated with.” He wanted to hold back some of his weak and wounded, but he caved in “for the good of the league” because the game was carried on national cable television. Sonier had hoped to escape without injury or player ejection.

He was disappointed. Two players aggravated old injuries and another was tossed. Both were factors in the Blades’ 10-8 victory in the first game of the first round of playoffs.

Now the rematch with the Barracudas.

“They came at us right away, throwing the body,” Savo Mitrovic said of the previous San Diego contest. “We were playing short of players. That’s no excuse, though. You can’t just play with two lines out there.”

Other Bullfrogs were more specific.

“We’ll see what happens when we have a full team the next time we play them,” defenseman Daniel Shank said. “Martinson was not too smart as a player and he wasn’t very smart [in the last game].”

Regardless of the temper of the contest, San Diego management was extremely pleased with the Barracudas’ victory, which ended a four-game losing streak against the Bullfrogs.

“That game really meant a lot to us,” said Barracuda managing general partner Dennis Murphy. “Anaheim is just a great team. It was an exciting game and it was on television. It was good for the league.”

Bullfrog Notes

Grant Sonier has been named Western Conference Coach of the Year by Roller Hockey International. Yvan Cournoyer of Montreal in the Eastern Conference also was honored. . . . Anyone who presents a ticket stub from Wednesday’s Blades-Bullfrogs games at The Pond, can redeem it at the San Diego Arena box office for one free ticket to tonight’s game.