Queen’s, Royal Military College prepare to face off in Carr-Harris Challenge Cup

The Carr-Harris Challenge Cup was initiated in 1986 by the International Hockey Hall of Fame in celebration of a rivalry between Queen’s University and Royal Military College that dates back to 1886. The rivalry is the longest in the world on record.

The 33rd annual Carr-Harris Cup will be played on Thursday at the Leon’s Centre in downtown Kingston. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

“Next to winning in the playoffs, it is the biggest game of the year,” said Queen’s coach Brett Gibson.

The Gaels have two games left in the regular season. They are battling with Carleton and McGill for second place in the Ontario University Athletics standings.

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“It’s a huge game for us for a number of reasons,” continued Gibson, a Gananoque native who is now in his 13th season behind the Gaels bench.

“We won’t be taking RMC for granted. They might be out of the playoff race, but they come to play every game and we need to be at our very best to beat them,” he said.

“They always play us tough. This game is great preparation for us because the OUA playoffs begin next week.”

Royal Military College has officially been eliminated from postseason play in the OUA so Thursday’s game is a chance for its team to finish the year on a positive note.

“We compete day in and day out, and we’re getting better,” said RMC head coach Richard Lim.

“We’re disappointed at not making the playoffs,” continued Lim, who played for the Paladins from 2006-11.

“Our hard work is going to pay off at some point, and hopefully it starts on Thursday. This is one game that never disappoints. It won’t be like the Super Bowl; I guarantee it will be an exciting game,” he said.

“Last year’s game was one for the ages. We may have lost in overtime 6-5, but the boys gave it everything they had. I know for a fact that we’ll be ready to play on Thursday and so will Queen’s.”

For the record, Queen’s leads the annual series 20-10, with two games ending in a tie.

The Gaels also won that first game back in March 1886. They beat the military cadets 1-0 on a goal by Lennox Irving.