Record-breaking crowd at 11th-annual Crowchild Classic
The 2025 Crowchild Classic will go down in the history books as the most attended ever.
More than 13,100 fans packed the Scotiabank Saddledome on Jan. 31 to watch the Mount Royal University Cougars take on the University of Calgary Dinos. With 13,193 fans in the stands for the men’s game, it officially broke a U Sports attendance record
In true NHL fashion, fans got to watch replays on the new Sportsnet Scoreboard, which is nearly four times bigger than the one at previous Classics. Some also caught a glimpse of themselves cheering on their respective teams and participating in one of the many singalongs.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who dropped the puck for the women’s game, wrote in a social post that “the Crowchild Classic is more than a hockey rivalry — it’s a celebration of Calgary’s lively university spirit and the role our post-secondary institutions play in shaping our community.”
The 11th-annual edition of the Classic saw the women face off for the first game with the men playing the second game later in the evening.
Women's game
After the ceremonial (and real) puck drop, the Cougars women opened up the scoring in the second period. The Dinos tied it in the last ten minutes of the final period, sending the game to overtime and eventually into a shootout. The Dinos ended up taking it 2-1.
It was an especially tough loss for goalie Kaitlin Ross when Dinos forward Sydney Mercier scored the winning goal. Just weeks ago, Ross and Mercier were wearing the same jersey representing Team Canada at the 2025 FISU Games in Italy, where they walked away with a silver medal.
The Cougars bounced back in a rematch on Saturday 5-2.
Read the full recap of the Friday and Saturday women’s games.
Men’s game
Leading up to the meeting of the rival teams, the Cougars men had beaten the Dinos in all four of their previous meetings this season.
Unfortunately, the Friday meeting was all Dinos as they won 4-0. But, the Cougars rebounded quickly to beat the Dinos 5-0 in their rematch the next day with goalie Shane Farkas earning his third shutout of the season. The win moved the Cougars into the top spot of Canada West’s West division.
Read the full recap of the men’s games from Friday and Saturday.
In the stands
The stands were almost as competitive as the games on the ice as students competed in some friendly games and contests, furthering the rivalry between the two Calgary universities.
Calvin the Cougar helped MRU students win an on-ice tug-of-war, while other students participated in an ice-cream eating contest and a special themed version of “this or that.”
Second year Bachelor of Education student Hunter Thudium was one of two MRU students (along with two U of C students) to be randomly selected during the second period of the men’s game to play a giant game on the ice akin to beer pong. He, with the help of his teammate, sank the most balls to win $5,000 worth of tuition for the next semester.
Crowchild Classic history
The Crowchild Classic at the Saddledome is the marquee event between the two schools located near Crowchild Trail, but it actually takes place year-round.
The Crowchild Classic results consider all regular season Canada West games between the Mount Royal University Cougars and the University of Calgary Dinos in the sports of basketball, hockey, soccer and volleyball, with the winner receiving the medal — a manhole cover — for display on that campus for the following year, along with bragging rights in the city. Additionally, the losing school’s president will wear the winning team’s jersey for one day.
Non-conference, exhibition, and playoff games are not included in the challenge. In case of a tie, the school already in possession of the trophy will keep it for an additional year.
The Dinos lead the all-time Crowchild Classic wins 132-89-15 but MRU has had the trophy for the last two years in a row with a third likely on the way. The record so far for the 2024/25 season is 11-9-2 for the Cougars.