# Army–Royal Military College men's ice hockey rivalry

The Army–Royal Military College men's ice hockey rivalry is a college ice hockey rivalry between the Army Black Knights men's ice hockey and RMC Paladins men's ice hockey programs. The first meeting between the two occurred on 2 February 1923 and was largely recurring afterwards.

## History

Both RMC and Army were earlier adopters of ice hockey programs in their respective countries. After World War I, the first conflict that included both Canada and the United States on the same side, the two academies were looking to strengthen ties to one another. In 1921, Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrote a letter to Maj. Gen. Sir Archibald Macdonell, suggesting the two institutions arrange a meeting between their respective ice hockey teams. Two years later the details were finalized and RMC travelled to West Point for the inaugural meeting. The match was held on Stuart Rink a natural, seasonal surface and kicked off a rivalry between the two schools that has endured for over a century.
In the first 15 years of the annual rivalry, RMC held the distinct advantage, going 14–0–1 from 1923 to 1938. Army was able to earn its first victory in 1939 but then the series was suspended during World War II (RMC did not field a team during the war except for a single game against Army in 1942). When the Reds returned in 1949, Army found itself as the better of the two and closed the gap in the series record. RMC would not win back-to-back games until the early 1980s but that stretch was fleeting for the Paladins. Army put together several winning streaks over the years and eventually took the lead in the series in the 1990s. The series was halted after 2006 and did not resume until 2011. Upon its return, Army won eight consecutive matches, their longest streak to date, before RMC stopped the run in 2020. From 2021 through 2023, the annual games were cancelled in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the two finally resumed the series in 2024.

## Game results

Full game results for the rivalry, with rankings beginning in the 1998–99 season.
| Army victories | RMC victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winning team | Winning team | Losing team | Losing team | Notes |
| 1 | 23 February 1923 | West Point, NY | RMC | 3 | Army | 0 | |
| 2 | 16 February 1924 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 10 | Army | 5 | |
| 3 | 22 February 1925 | West Point, NY | RMC | 5 | Army | 0 | |
| 4 | 19 February 1927 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 7 | Army | 2 | |
| 5 | 18 February 1928 | West Point, NY | RMC | 8 | Army | 3 | |
| 6 | 23 February 1929 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 8 | Army | 3 | |
| 7 | 22 February 1930 | West Point, NY | RMC | 5 | Army | 3 | |
| 8 | 7 March 1931 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 7 | Army | 5 | |
| 9 | 5 March 1932 | West Point, NY | RMC | 7 | Army | 1 | |
| 10 | 25 February 1933 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 3 | Army | 1 | |
| 11 | February 1934 | West Point, NY | RMC | 6 | Army | 4 | |
| 12 | 2 March 1935 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 4 | Tie | 4 | |
| 13 | March 1936 | West Point, NY | RMC | 5 | Army | 2 | |
| 14 | 6 March 1937 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 4 | Army | 1 | |
| 15 | 5 March 1938 | West Point, NY | RMC | 1 | Army | 0 | |
| 16 | 4 March 1939 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 17 | 5 March 1942 | West Point, NY | Army | 3 | RMC | 1 | |
| 18 | 1949 | West Point, NY | Army | 5 | RMC | 4 | |
| 19 | 11 March 1950 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 6 | Army | 4 | |
| 20 | 3 March 1951 | West Point, NY | Army | 4 | RMC | 2 | |
| 21 | 1 March 1952 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 7 | Army | 4 | |
| 22 | 7 March 1953 | West Point, NY | Army | 5 | RMC | 4 | |
| 23 | 6 March 1954 | Kingston, ON | Army | 5 | RMC | 3 | |
| 24 | 5 March 1955 | West Point, NY | RMC | 3 | Army | 2 | (OT) |
| 25 | 10 March 1956 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 26 | 9 March 1957 | West Point, NY | Army | 7 | RMC | 2 | |
| 27 | 8 March 1958 | Kingston, ON | Army | 5 | RMC | 1 | |
| 28 | 7 March 1959 | West Point, NY | RMC | 6 | Army | 1 | |
| 29 | 5 March 1960 | Kingston, ON | Army | 7 | RMC | 5 | |
| 30 | 4 March 1961 | West Point, NY | Army | 7 | RMC | 1 | |
| 31 | 3 March 1962 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 32 | 2 March 1963 | West Point, NY | Army | 9 | RMC | 4 | |
| 33 | 7 March 1964 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 4 | Army | 2 | |
| 34 | 6 March 1965 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 0 | |
| 35 | 5 March 1966 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 8 | Army | 3 | |
| 36 | 4 March 1967 | West Point, NY | Army | 9 | RMC | 1 | |
| 37 | 9 March 1968 | Kingston, ON | Army | 4 | RMC | 2 | |
| 38 | 8 March 1969 | West Point, NY | Army | 5 | RMC | 2 | |
| 39 | 7 March 1970 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 40 | 6 March 1971 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 0 | |
| 41 | 11 March 1972 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 7 | Army | 4 | |
| 42 | 10 March 1973 | West Point, NY | Tie | 4 | Tie | 4 | |
| 43 | 2 March 1974 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 4 | Tie | 4 | |
| 44 | 8 March 1975 | West Point, NY | Army | 2 | RMC | 1 | |
| 45 | 13 March 1976 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 4 | Tie | 4 | |
| 46 | 12 March 1977 | West Point, NY | Army | 11 | RMC | 2 | |
| 47 | 18 February 1978 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 7 | Army | 6 | |
| 48 | 27 January 1979 | West Point, NY | Army | 12 | RMC | 4 | |
| 49 | 26 January 1980 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 5 | Army | 2 | |
| 50 | 21 February 1981 | West Point, NY | Army | 10 | RMC | 5 | |
| 51 | 6 February 1982 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 4 | Army | 3 | |
| 52 | 19 February 1983 | West Point, NY | RMC | 3 | Army | 2 | |
| 53 | 18 February 1984 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 8 | Army | 5 | |
| 54 | 9 February 1985 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 4 | |
| 55 | 25 January 1986 | Kingston, ON | Army | 9 | RMC | 7 | |
| 56 | 24 January 1987 | West Point, NY | RMC | 4 | Army | 3 | |
| 57 | 23 January 1988 | Kingston, ON | Army | 4 | RMC | 3 | |
| 58 | 21 January 1989 | West Point, NY | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | (OT) |
| 59 | 20 January 1990 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 3 | Tie | 3 | (OT) |
| 60 | 26 January 1991 | West Point, NY | Army | 11 | RMC | 1 | |
| 61 | 25 January 1992 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 62 | 6 February 1993 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 2 | |
| 63 | 12 February 1994 | Kingston, ON | Army | 6 | RMC | 0 | |
| 64 | 11 February 1995 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 1 | |
| 65 | 10 February 1996 | Kingston, ON | Army | 2 | RMC | 0 | |
| 66 | 8 February 1997 | West Point, NY | Army | 7 | RMC | 3 | |
| 67 | 7 February 1998 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 2 | Tie | 2 | (OT) |
| 68 | 6 February 1999 | West Point, NY | Army | 3 | RMC | 1 | |
| 69 | 12 February 2000 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 3 | Army | 0 | |
| 70 | 10 February 2001 | West Point, NY | Army | 7 | RMC | 1 | |
| 71 | 9 February 2002 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 3 | Army | 2 | (OT) |
| 72 | 8 February 2003 | West Point, NY | Army | 4 | RMC | 0 | |
| 73 | 7 February 2004 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| 74 | 5 February 2005 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 1 | |
| 75 | 11 February 2006 | Kingston, ON | Tie | 3 | Tie | 3 | (OT) |
| 76 | 4 February 2011 | West Point, NY | Army | 9 | RMC | 1 | |
| 77 | 26 January 2013 | West Point, NY | Army | 4 | RMC | 1 | |
| 78 | 25 January 2014 | Kingston, ON | Army | 5 | RMC | 2 | |
| 79 | 24 January 2015 | West Point, NY | Army | 8 | RMC | 0 | |
| 80 | 23 January 2016 | Kingston, ON | Army | 4 | RMC | 3 | |
| 81 | 21 January 2017 | West Point, NY | Army | 5 | RMC | 3 | |
| 82 | 20 January 2018 | Kingston, ON | Army | 5 | RMC | 0 | |
| 83 | 19 January 2019 | West Point, NY | Army | 5 | RMC | 2 | |
| 84 | 18 January 2020 | Kingston, ON | RMC | 3 | Army | 2 | (OT) |
| 85 | 7 January 2024 | West Point, NY | Army | 6 | RMC | 1 | |
| 86 | 1 February 2025 | Kingston, ON | Army | 3 | RMC | 2 | |
| Series: Army leads 49–30–7 ||||||||

## Series facts

| Statistic | Army | RMC |
| Games played | 85 | 85 |
| Wins | 48 | 30 |
| Home wins | 30 | 18 |
| Road wins | 18 | 12 |
| Neutral site wins | 0 | 0 |
| Goals scored | 370 | 279 |
| Most goals scored in a game by one team | 12 (27 January 1979) | 10 (16 February 1924) |
| Most goals in a game by both teams | 16 (27 January 1979 – Army 12, RMC 4; 25 January 1986 – Army 9, RMC 7) | 16 (27 January 1979 – Army 12, RMC 4; 25 January 1986 – Army 9, RMC 7) |
| Fewest goals in a game by both teams | 1 (5 March 1938) | 1 (5 March 1938) |
| Fewest goals scored in a game by one team in a win | 2 (8 March 1975, 10 February 1996) | 1 (5 March 1938) |
| Most goals scored in a game by one team in a loss | 6 (18 February 1978) | 7 (25 January 1986) |
| Largest margin of victory | 10 (26 January 1991) | 6 (5 March 1932) |
| Longest winning streak | 8 (4 February 2011 – 19 January 2019), | 11 (23 February 1923 – February 1934), |
| Longest unbeaten streak | 12 (23 January 1988 – 6 February 1999) (8 February 2003 – 19 January 2019) | 15 (23 February 1923 – 5 March 1938) |