Royal Military College will play Army in hockey rivalry that goes back more than 100 years

In the fifth hockey game of the season, Brent Broaders was shoved by an opposing player and his neck was jarred to one side. The Royal Military College senior retreated to the bench and lost feeling from his shoulder to his fingertips on the left side.

He returned to action, however, and scored his lone goal of the 2024-25 campaign without realizing he had a broken neck. That was Oct. 18.

“I finished the game and I probably shouldn’t have,” Broaders said.

It took about two weeks before a compression fracture of his C6 vertebrae was diagnosed. Until then he had no idea how serious the injury was.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid I could never play hockey again,” he said. “I am really lucky.”

On Friday he received medical clearance to return to the ice and will play against Army on Saturday at Slush Puppie Place, the home arena for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL.

The series between the military colleges in Canada and the United States began in 1924 and is considered one of the oldest continuous international rivalries in sports. There have been a few gaps and a few cancelled matches, but the series has otherwise remained with games alternating between Kingston and West Point, N.Y.

The RMC Paladins and Black Knights have played 85 times since their first meeting was brokered by U.S. Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Canadian Maj. Gen. Sir Archibald MacDonell. Canadian and U.S. ambassadors have been known to attend and for a long time teams were treated to a reception on the night before they played. They would then square off for 60 minutes the next afternoon, after which they would attend a dinner and dance together.

“The game is bigger than either team,” Broaders said. He is an economics major, 24, and from Fogo Island off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. “Their guys are pretty much the same as us.”

RMC is a USports team and is 1-22 this season. Army plays at the NCAA Division 1 level and is 11-15.

The last time the Paladins were the host they won 3-2 in overtime in 2020. That was their first victory over Army since 2002. The Black Knights lead the series 48-30-7.

They didn’t meet in 2021, 2022 and 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It looked as though they would not continue the series so Richard Lim, the RMC head coach, travelled to West Point in August of 2023 and brought his team along.

He discussed the situation with Army coach Brian Riley while each of his players partnered with one of the Black Knights, stayed in their dorm room, attended classes with them, toured their facilities and ate breakfast and dinner together.

“It was a good experience,” said Brock McNaughton, a third-year forward and engineering major at RMC. His father also played for the Paladins. “It was fun to see how similar and different the causes are.

“I hold this game close. It’s a type of battle I go into with my best friends.”

The coaches agreed to resume their rivalry in 2024, a game won by Army on home ice.

Team photos that date to 1913 are displayed inside the cozy old hockey rink at the Royal Military College. The words “Truth, Duty, Valour” are painted on one wall.

Joel Holtrop, a fourth-year forward, sat beneath the pictures on Thursday as he watched practice. A week ago he suffered a partially torn triceps and will be unable to suit up against Army.

“We are as competitive as crap,” he said while holding an ice bag against his left arm. “But once the game is over, we shake hands, come together in a circle at centre ice, and then go out together on the town.”

The RMC is not a place where anyone comes to extend their hockey careers. From 4,000 applicants only 250 are accepted, including a handful that can play hockey at the USports level.

After four years of school, students begin a five-year military commitment with the Canadian Forces. There are no thoughts about NHL careers.

In comparison, Army accepts about 1,300 applicants a year. Its students also are obliged to fulfill a five-year military obligation.

Brian Riley has been the Black Knights’ head coach for 21 years and was an assistant for 14 before that. Preceding him, his older brother Rob was head coach for 18 years, and before him, their dad, Jack, held the post for 36 years. He was hired by the legendary Earl (Red) Blaik and in 1960 also coached the U.S. hockey team to an Olympic gold medal.

Brian Riley will retire at the end of this season, upon which Army will hire its first head coach in 75 years that is not a member of the Riley family. He grew up in West Point where his family’s basement was covered with team photos and pictures of his dad with captains from each year.

“My dad embraced this series,” Riley said. “It was the biggest game on Army’s schedule every year. Out of respect for him I felt like I had to get it going again.”

Although there is tension between the Canadian and U.S. governments at this point with Washington imposing tariffs, it is unlikely to carry over to the ice.

“I don’t view what we do as something political,” Riley said. “It is not the U.S. versus Canada. It is a place where both teams respect each other for what they are willing to do for their countries. Ultimately they are two military academies on the same team.

“Down the road these guys could be fighting shoulder to shoulder.”

His only disappointment is that it is his last game to coach against RMC.

“The bad thing is that this is going to be my last trip to Kingston,” he said. “It’s bittersweet. As a young kid I never thought I’d be involved in this. The young men we get to coach makes it the most humbling opportunity in all of college sports. I’m grateful.”

Broaders is glad he is healthy enough again to play.

“The game itself is bigger than either team,” he said. “For those 60 minutes we both compete as hard as we can but at the end of the day there is definitely great respect between us.”