Battle of the Bridge (Canisius–Niagara)

Last updated
Battle of the Bridge
Battle of the Bridge logo.jpg
SportMulti-sport
First meeting2006
TrophyCanal Cup
Statistics
All-time seriesCanisius leads, 13–4
Longest win streakCanisius, 10 (2010–2019)
Current win streakCanisius, 1 (2022–present)
USA New York location map.svg
Gold pog.svg
Canisius University
Purple pog.svg
Niagara University

The Battle of the Bridge is the name of the all-sports rivalry between the Canisius Golden Griffins and the Niagara Purple Eagles. [1] [2] [3] [4] Both schools are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The two teams compete every school year in 14 sports; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's ice hockey, women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, and women's volleyball. The overall winner of the annual series receives the Canal Cup trophy. [5] The two long-time Western New York rivals created the trophy in 2007 to enhance the historic rivalry between the two schools. [6] The name of the series is a reference to the Grand Island Bridge, which each team crosses when traveling along I-190 to the other's campus. [7] [8] The name of the trophy is a reference to the Erie Canal, which separates Erie County, where Canisius is located, and Niagara County, where Niagara is located. [6]

Overall results

[9] [10]

SeasonWinnerOverall scoreSeries
CanisiusNiagara
2006–07Niagara1024Niagara 1–0
2007–08Canisius2113Tied 1–1
2008–09Canisius2311Canisius 2–1
2009–10Niagara1517Tied 2–2
2010–11Canisius2013Canisius 3–2
2011–12Canisius18.514.5Canisius 4–2
2012–13Canisius2112Canisius 5–2
2013–14Canisius23.59.5Canisius 6–2
2014–15Canisius217Canisius 7–2
2015–16Canisius20.57.5Canisius 8–2
2016–17Canisius308Canisius 9–2
2017–18Canisius279Canisius 10–2
2018–19Canisius1911Canisius 11–2
2019–20Canisius1610Canisius 12–2
2020–21Niagara1016Canisius 12–3
2021–22Niagara1323Canisius 12–4
2022–23Canisius1917Canisius 13–4
Total16* seasons327.5222.5Canisius 13–4

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References

  1. "Niagara beats Canisius". WIVB-TV. January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  2. "A higher bridge for Canisius, Niagara". uscho.com. November 4, 2010. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  3. ESPN and Bill Bradley (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Bristol, Connecticut: ESPN. p. 114. ISBN   978-0345513922.
  4. Beck, Stan, and Wilkinson, Jack (2013). College Sports Traditions: Picking Up Butch, Silent Night, and Hundreds of Others. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 227. ISBN   978-0-8108-9120-3.
  5. "COLLEGE ROUNDUP (JAN 31): NU, Canisius to battle for Canal Cup". Niagara Gazette. January 31, 2007. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  6. 1 2 "Battle of the Bridge". GoGriffs.com. 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  7. Harrington, Mike (February 2, 2007). "Canisius, Niagara add to rivalry". The Buffalo News . Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  8. "Battle of the Bridge". PurpleEagles.com. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  9. "Battle of the Bridge - Canisius College Athletics". gogriffs.com. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
  10. "Battle of the Bridge - Niagara University Athletics". purpleeagles.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.