KINGSTON, Ont.. (February 4, 2016) - The Queen's Gaels (15-7-1) topped the RMC Paladins (3-18-3) to take the 30th annual matchup between the teams, in the oldest rivalry in hockey. The Gaels' win gives them a total of 19 since the Challenge Cup was introduced. A new attendance record was set for the 30th Carr-Harris Cup in Kingston, totalling 3,363. Last year's attendance at the Roger's K-Rock Centre was 3,295.

MUST SEE - @Patrickmcgillis gets his 2nd tonight dekes to back-hand and goes top shelf! 3-1 Gaels #CarrHarrisCup pic.twitter.com/6kcBcsCoYg

— Queen's Gaels (@queensgaels) February 5, 2016

Game Flow
The rough stuff started early, a classic Carr-Harris Cup style of hockey between the two teams. Early on the Gaels were awarded a power play opportunity and wasted no time getting on the board. Eric Ming (Williamstown, Ont.) scored his 13th of the season to give Queen's the ever-important first goal of the game. The Paladins weren't behind for very long and potted one of their own. Owen Gill tucked a rebound shot from the point past Kevin Bailie (Belleville, Ont.) tying the game at 1-1. RMC took over the momentum for a few minutes, getting some great chances on the Gaels net. With some zone pressure, Patrick McGillis (Calgary, Alta.) was in the perfect position to tip home a point shot past goalie Matthew Beirnes to put Queen's back out in front. Just minutes later, as both teams had a man in the penalty box, the 4-on-4 action opened things up. Off of some great hustle in deep, Darcy Greenaway (Wilton, Ont.),  was able to feed McGillis in the slot, he made no mistake and scored his second of the game and 13th of the year.

The fast pace followed right through to the second period, as there were two goals scored in the first 1:21. First the Gaels got themselves ahead by three, with a nice 2-on-1 goal by Ming, his second of the game. Once again, the Paladins were quick to answer, this time just 22 seconds later. Scott Domenico tipped in his 7th of the year to pull RMC within two goals. As the rough play and hitting continued, some miscommunication by the Paladins led to the Gaels fifth goal of the game. Alex Stothart (Ottawa, Ont.) was the benefactor and gave the home team a 5-2 lead halfway through the game. RMC made a goalie change from there, and the score remained the same for the rest of the middle frame.

The record crowd cheered the teams back on the ice for the final 20 minutes of the game, as the RMC faithful looked to help get their team to eliminate the three-goal deficit. Just nine minutes in, the Paladins took a risky chance, pulling their goalie on the power play to find a spark. While it did not result in a goal, they were able to get quite a few great chances with the man-advantage. After each team tallied over 30 minutes of penalties in the period, the Gaels converted for a power play goal. Ming tallied his third of the game to complete the hat trick. Ryan Bloom (Calgary, Alta.) set up his third of the game and registered his third assist.

Queen's rode their 6-2 lead the rest of the way to take their second straight Carr-Harris Challenge Cup. Ming and Eric Louis-Seize were awarded the Mary Carr-Harris MVPs following the final buzzer.

Final Say
"There was a lot of energy and a lot of intensity," said Ming who netted a hat trick for Queen's. "It looks like it's a pretty scrappy game out there and it was, it's very high intensity for both teams. Now that it's said and done though we've got a lot of respect for what they do, not only as a Military College for our country, but as a hockey team as well."

By the Numbers
3 - points by both Eric Ming and Ryan Bloom
15 - goals by Ming on the year, leading the team
41 - saves by Kevin Bailie in the win
88 - total shots on net in the game
50 - penalty minutes racked up between both teams
10 - players registered at least one point in the game for Queen's
19 - Carr-Harris Cup wins for the Gaels
31 - points on the season for Queen's. Three points behind UOIT in the standings, with one game in hand

Up Next
The Gaels will be on the road in Waterloo to take on the Waterloo Warriors (13-11-0) and the Laurier Golden Hawks (12-13-0) for their final weekend road trip of the season. Then next Wednesday, they'll remain in Kingston and take on the Paladins at Constantine Arena.