KINGSTON, Ont. (October 27, 2010) - The Queen's Gaels will be celebrating 125 years of hockey this Friday as they take on the McGill Redmen.

The annual rivalry game will have a more festive atmosphere than ever as the Gaels will be celebrating this historic milestone. While the Gaels program dates back to the 1880s, these two teams first met in 1895 in Kingston which saw a 6-5 Queen's victory. Both of these schools have played a fundamental role in the growth of hockey in Canada dating back to before they first played one another in 1895.

Heading into this historical rivalry game, Queen's will be led by a different group of players than years past. Brock Ouellet (Lindsay, Ont.) and 2010 OUA All-Rookie team member Payton Liske (Welland, Ont.) have been solid for the Gaels since the pre-season and are among four players tied for the team lead in points thus far with 5 apiece. Steele De Fazio (Georgetown, Ont.) has been the Gaels' top goaltender, posting a 3-2 record to go along with a .900 save percentage and a 3.64 GAA. De Fazio joined the Gaels mid-season in 2009 and is continuing to build on a fantastic playoff performance from a year ago.

The Redmen will counter with the defending OUA MVP Francis Verreault-Paul and 2009 OUA Defenceman of the Year Marc-Andre Dorion. Verreault-Paul leads the OUA in scoring to this point with 16 points, while Dorion sits seventh in the league with 12. 

McGill currently leads the season series against Queen's 1-0 after they defeated the Gaels 7-1 in Montreal last weekend. 

This weekend's 125th Anniversary game will take place at the Kingston Memorial Centre on Friday October 29, 2010. Puck drop is set for 8:30 pm.