Marquee Matchup: World’s oldest rivalry ready to write next chapter between postseason-bound participants
Kingston, Ont. – One of the most iconic rivalries in university sport is set to be renewed to help wind down the men’s hockey regular season and it is a date that has been circled on the calendar ever since the puck dropped on opening night. It’s understandable, therefore, that even with the playoffs on the horizon for the RMC Paladins and Queen’s Gaels, both sides will put the Carr-Harris Cup – one of this week’s OUA Marquee Matchups and the longest recorded rivalry in the world – at the forefront when they clash at the Leon’s Centre on Thursday.
With a hockey rivalry that dates back to 1886, and the initiation of the Carr-Harris Cup now going back 34 years, the history is there in spades between these two schools. In the previous 33 meetings of the annual affair, Queen’s holds a 20-11-2 edge, and more recently, they’ve also earned the advantage in their other meetings. In their previous two games this season, four has been the magic number for Queen’s, picking up wins in both by netting a quartet of tallies. In their first encounter, a third period comeback on goals from Jared Bethune (Fort Frances, Ont.) and Matthew Hotchkiss (Courtice, Ont.) helped the Gaels come away with a 4-3 win, while a three-goal cushion after 40 minutes allowed them to soar to a 4-1 win two weeks ago.
The two wins match the Gaels’ total from a year ago against their crosstown foes, but they were unable to capture the trifecta in what proved to be a lopsided Carr-Harris Cup defeat in 2019. In that most recent edition, RMC jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the heels of two goals from Liam Stagg (Halifax, N.S.), and cruised to a 5-1 victory; their 12th in the 33 years of Carr-Harris Cup collisions. Capping off their regular season with their second-straight Carr-Harris Cup victory would mark the first time RMC has done so since 1996 and 1997, and while the Gaels have the better mark this season and can still climb the divisional standings (can reach as high as 5th place), a win would be the cherry on top of a remarkable campaign for the East Division’s eighth seed.
There is no denying that RMC’s season has been one for the history books. Red nation has been taking great strides as a program in what has been their best campaign in nearly two decades. In fact, not only would a win Thursday against Queen’s bring bragging rights back to RMC, but it would also mark the first time that a Paladins team has won the coveted Carr-Harris Cup, defeated West Point, and made the playoffs all in the same season. But of course, they have to go through last year’s champions to make that magic come to light, which will be no easy task.
Captained by Patrick Sanvido, the Queen’s Gaels will be tough to take down as they hit the ice in their penultimate regular season outing. The Guelph, Ont. native has been a key player for the Tricolour in their attempt to right the ship in the latter half of the season. Since dropping five straight in early November, the Gaels have found their stride to clinch their postseason spot once again. The defensive stalwart, who is known for his shutdown ability and overall prowess in his own end, has helped ensure Queen’s will have a chance to repeat, and has even go so far as to reel a four-game point streak together with playoffs just around the corner.
Sanvido’s counterpart on Thursday is another individual who speaks more with his style of play than his scoring totals, as RMC captain Mathew Michie has been a leader for the Paladins through and through. As the heart and soul of the squad, the fourth-year senior embodies the team’s high-energy style of play. He blocks shots, finishes checks, and draws penalties, which are just a few ways that Michie contributes to his team’s on-ice performance.
While the Port Coquitlam, B.C. native shines beyond the scoreboard, his teammate, Christopher Paquette (Kingston, Ont.), is no stranger to point production. The first-year forward, who is the first NHL draft pick (148th overall by Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016) to suit up for the Paladins, leads the team in points with 32 (top 10 in OUA) and is in the conference’s top five in goals (15). His scoring touch will be a must against a championship-calibre opponent, because even though the team as a whole has shone with the man advantage (22.1 PP%; 4th in OUA), they could use any boost they can in terms of their 5-on-5 offence.
RMC isn’t the only Carr-Harris competitor that has struggled to light the lamp at times; however, as their counterparts have seen their own offensive struggles this season. In fact, the Gaels’ 2.50 goals per game rank them last in the OUA, but while they have struggled to put the puck in the net, they’ve been adept at keeping it out. Behind the sturdy play of Luke Richardson (Barrie, Ont.) between the pipes, Queen’s sits sixth in goals-against average (2.70). The rookie netminder has secured 11 victories on the year and played to personal marks of a 2.56 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
In what will be his 27th start of the season, Richardson will be going toe-to-toe with RMC’s Joey May, who will get the starting nod for the eighth time. After failing to pick up a win in his first five attempts, May was able to step up in a big way this past weekend. In fact, the Calgary, Alta. native backstopped his squad to two wins thanks to a total of 99 saves; one against the nationally-ranked UQTR Patriotes and the other in an overtime triumph over the Ottawa Gee-Gees to clinch their first playoff appearance since 2006. A win against Queen’s to close out their season would do wonders in terms of maintaining their late season momentum, and perhaps lead them to their first playoff series win since 2001-02 against, you guessed it, the Gaels.
In the scope of this season, the upcoming playoffs, and the rivalry as a whole, Thursday’s clash brings with it plenty of stakes for both sides. And in front of what promises to be a jam-packed Leon’s Centre crowd, 60 minutes of spirited play will determine whether the Queen’s Gaels can snag another couple valuable points in their battle for playoff positioning or if the RMC Paladins can add another historic entry into their already memorable postseason-bound campaign.
Fans can be part of the crowd by purchasing tickets at the Queen’s University ARC or the Leon’s Centre, or can tune in to oua.tv on Thursday, February 6 at 7:30pm to see everything from puck drop to the final whistle.
