The longest-running international hockey series returns to Canada for the first time since 2006 on Saturday.

Royal Military College in Kingston and West Point in New York will meet for bragging rights between the world’s elite military academies. The last time the two teams met in Kingston the game finished in a 3-3 tie.

Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in the 78th edition of the game between West Point and RMC.

The series went on a hiatus because of scheduling issues in 2005, but was resurrected in 2012. In that game, West Point pounded RMC 9-1. West Point won 4-1 last year. RMC hasn’t won since 2002 when they shut out West Point 3-0.

Canadians who believe this country produces the best hockey players might be surprised to learn that, when it comes to military hockey might, the Americans have been mightier: West Point leads the overall series 41-29-7.

“We always try to prove that we can play too,” West Point coach Brian Riley said of the Canadian-U.S. rivalry. “There’s good hockey players down here and there’s good hockey players up there.”

The pride factor can make the games intense.

“Any time you get Canadians and Americans together in a hockey game, there’s just a little bit of friction there,” Riley said. “Then you factor in the military academy aspect and it adds to it.”

West Point has a distinct advantage in size because it draws from a pool of 4,400 cadets, while RMC draws from 1,200 cadets.

Riley isn’t buying the David versus Goliath argument.

“Of the 1,200 cadets at RMC, probably 900 of them have put on skates and played hockey,” the West Point coach said. “At West Point, we have 4,400, but probably 50 have played hockey. It makes me laugh when they bring up that argument.”

With the tone set, here are 10 things you need to know about the series:

1. The series was established in 1923, after the idea was born in 1921, when Lt.-Gen. Sir Archibald MacDonnell, commandant of RMC and a war hero at Vimy Ridge in World War I, visited West Point to study the military academy’s curriculum. There he met the superintendent of West Point, Douglas MacArthur, who was later to become general of the U.S. army, and the two men agreed to establish the rivalry.

2. The game has been interrupted by war and from 2007-2011 by scheduling conflicts with the OUA (Ontario University Athletics) and the AHA (Atlantic Hockey Association).

3. After a five-year leave, the series resumed with a three-year deal for 2012, 2013 and 2014.

4. RMC beat West Point 3-0 in the first game on Feb. 23, 1923 at West Point. To commemorate the game, RMC donated the Challenge Trophy.

5. From 1923-1935 RMC dominated, going 14-0-1. West Point, also known as the Army or Army Black Knights, dominated in the 1950s and 1960s. The teams were evenly matched through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1986, RMC led the series 26-25-4. Army then went unbeaten from 1988-1999.

6. West Point leads the overall series 41-29-7 but RMC has a 17-14-6 record at home. The last time the game was played in Kingston was in 2006 and the teams tied 3-3.

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7. The RMC Paladins play in the OUA. Cadets make up about 60 per cent of the team and the other 40 per cent are reservists. The Army Black Knights are a Division 1 school in the AHA. Both teams are on the lower end of the skill level in their respective leagues. Going into this game, RMC was 1-18-3 (the worst record in OUA) while Army was 3-18 overall.

8. There once was more of a social aspect to the game since the players roomed and ate together during the weekend exchange. That has since changed.

9. The style of game is “intense,” RMC coach Adam Shell said. But there is a “pure brand of intensity” with little after-the-whistle garbage. And both teams are respectful of each other and the fact it’s a showcase event. RMC is expecting its biggest crowd of the season.

10. Notable alumnus for Army is Dan Hinote, who played for the Colorado Avalanche (1999-2006) and St. Louis Blues (2006-2009).