Gaels, Paladins square off in Carr-Harris Cup
January 31, 2017
Share
The next chapter in the world's oldest hockey rivalry will be written on Thursday night when the RMC Paladins face the No. 7 ranked Queen's Gaels in the Carr-Harris Challenge Cup.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 pm at the Rogers K-Rock Centre. Tickets are $10 and are available at the customer service desk in the ARC. Tickets are also available at the Rogers K-Rock Box office.
The Carr-Harris Challenge Cup was initiated in 1986 by the International Hockey Hall of Fame in celebration of the hockey rivalry between Queen's Gaels and the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins. The rivalry actually dates back to 1886 and this will be the 131st year that this match has been played.
The rivalry between the two OUA affiliates is the world's longest-standing hockey rivalry.
Queen's enters the game in second place in the OUA East Division, three points back of the McGill Redmen with one game in hand. However, with only four games remaining in the regular season, the Gaels will need to pick up a valuable two points to keep pace. A win versus RMC would give the Gaels their 18th win of the season and establish a new franchise record for wins in a season.
RMC is searching for their 10th victory since the inaugural Carr-Harris Challenge Cup game back on Oct. 22, 1986. The Paladins are also looking to snap a two-game losing streak to the Gaels.
The trophy is named in honour of the Carr-Harris family, which has a long-standing connection with both Kingston universities. Robert Carr-Harris was professor of civil engineering at Royal Military College of Canada in 1879 and afterward a professor of general engineering at Queen's University. All of his sons and two of his cousins were cadets at RMC.
The Carr-Harris Challenge Cup trophy itself features the "Lennie" sculpture by Kingston native Joan Belch. It depicts Lennox Irving, the Queen's player who scored the lone goal in the March 10, 1886 inaugural game between RMC and Queen’s.
The night will feature many prizes and giveaways including a prize pack at a value of over $250 courtesy of McCoy Bus Service & Tours. During the first intermission, the Queen's Varsity Figure Skating team will be performing their synchro routine. Both the Queen's and RMC bands will also be on hand to ramp up their respective school's fans and alumni.