Cougars, Dinos set to resume rivalry in Crowchild Classic at Saddledome
Last Saturday night, there was a Battle of Alberta between the Oilers and the Flames. Every Labour Day is a classic thanks to the Elks and the Stampeders. But Wednesday a more local, but no less passionate, rivalry takes over the Saddledome: the Crowchild Classic.
That’s the annual showdown between the University of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars men’s and women’s hockey teams that is expected to draw over 10,000 rabid fans cheering for both sides to the Saddledome.
The men kick it off at around 4:30 p.m., followed at around 7:15 p.m. by the women’s game.
For one member of the Dinos, the Crowchild Classic will have a different look this year.
Winning the USports women’s’ national hockey championship is something Courtney Kollman will never forget.
It was definitely the highlight of her hockey career.
“It’s super-cool,” Kollman said. “Obviously, that’s one of the first times I’ve ever won anything that big.
“To do that with those girls,” she added, “We all have a special bond. It was something I’ll never forget and probably was the best experience of my life.”
This year will look different for Kollman because she traded in Cougar blue for Dino red, meaning she’ll be playing against all her old teammates.
“It’s obviously fun,” Kollman said. “It’s easy to get up for, I have a lot of friends over there so it’s cool to play them.
“We have a lot of respect for each other so I think it will be a good battle out there, especially in front of all the fans at the Dome.”
Kollman said leaving Mount Royal had nothing to do with hockey – she went to the U of C to advance her education.
“I had graduated from Mount Royal and knew I wanted to continue pursuing school, so I’m actually taking my masters at U of C.
“There was not much else I could take at Mount Royal,” she added. “So I decided to transfer over so I could pursue a masters and also continue to play hockey.”
The Dinos enter the game in fifth place in the Canada West with a 9-15 record, while the defending national champion Cougars are in third with an impressive 18-4 record.
No matter what the won-lost record says, however, the Crowchild Classic seems to bring the best in both teams, Kollman said.
“I think it will be a good game,” she said. “It’s always a good game when we play each other…rivalry obviously across Crowchild, so yeah, I think it will be exciting for fans. It was last year – went to a shootout – so hopefully (we’ll) put on the same show again this year.”
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