CALGARY – For the second consecutive year, a new attendance record was set at the Crowchild Classic.

One year after packing 13,139 fans into the Scotiabank Saddledome, the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University packed a total of 13,324 fans into the downtown Calgary arena, once again resetting the U SPORTS men's hockey regular season attendance record.

In the first installment of the rivalry game in 2012, the Crowchild Classic broke a 42-year-old Canada West record with 4,275 fans in attendance, and it has only grown since – annually serving as one of the premier fixtures in all of U SPORTS and Calgary sports. With this year's record-breaking attendance, a total of 124,227 total fans have come through the gates for the annual event in its 12-year history.

Over those 12 years, the Crowchild Classic now holds eight of the top nine all-time attendance records between U SPORTS teams.

The event consisted of a doubleheader in women's and men's hockey between the Dinos and Cougars. Both schools had excellent turnouts from students, staff, faculty, and alumni, capping the Crowchild Classic – an annual competition between the two universities.

The night was possible thanks the generous support of the Calgary Flames and the Flames Foundation, who gave the Dinos and Cougars the opportunity to play in an NHL facility with the full Flames entertainment experience.

"The Crowchild Classic continues to set the standard, and tonight was another outstanding showcase of Canadian university hockey," said Dinos Director of Athletics Ben Matchett. "In partnership with MRU, and with the tremendous support of the Flames Foundation and Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, we've built something truly special here in Calgary.

"As always, we're grateful to the Scotiabank Saddledome, CSEC, and foundation staff for their exceptional work behind the scenes, and we thank our student bodies for their unwavering support year after year."

The Dinos and Cougars wrap up their weekend series Saturday night. The women's teams will play at Father David Bauer Arena, while the men's teams faceoff at the Flames Community Arenas. Both games are set for 5 p.m. start times.

About the Crowchild Classic
The Crowchild Classic is an annual competition between the University of Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal University Cougars in U SPORTS regular season games across the sports of basketball, hockey, soccer, and volleyball. Each year, the school that wins the most games in the series is awarded 'The Medal' – a 68-kilogram cast iron City of Calgary manhole cover. Click here for more information.

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