Battle of the Bridge (Canisius–Niagara)

Battle of the Bridge
Statistics

Canisius Golden Griffins Niagara Purple Eagles
Sport	Multi-sport
First meeting	2006
Trophy	Canal Cup
All-time series	Canisius leads, 13–4
Longest win streak	Canisius, 10 (2010–2019)
Current win streak	Canisius, 1 (2022–present)

Canisius University

Niagara University

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Locations in New York

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

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^[9]^[10]

Season	Winner	Overall score		Series
Season	Winner	Canisius	Niagara	Series
2006–07	Niagara	10	24	Niagara 1–0
2007–08	Canisius	21	13	Tied 1–1
2008–09	Canisius	23	11	Canisius 2–1
2009–10	Niagara	15	17	Tied 2–2
2010–11	Canisius	20	13	Canisius 3–2
2011–12	Canisius	18.5	14.5	Canisius 4–2
2012–13	Canisius	21	12	Canisius 5–2
2013–14	Canisius	23.5	9.5	Canisius 6–2
2014–15	Canisius	21	7	Canisius 7–2
2015–16	Canisius	20.5	7.5	Canisius 8–2
2016–17	Canisius	30	8	Canisius 9–2
2017–18	Canisius	27	9	Canisius 10–2
2018–19	Canisius	19	11	Canisius 11–2
2019–20	Canisius	16	10	Canisius 12–2
2020–21	Niagara	10	16	Canisius 12–3
2021–22	Niagara	13	23	Canisius 12–4
2022–23	Canisius	19	17	Canisius 13–4
Total	16* seasons	327.5	222.5	Canisius 13–4

References

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^ "Niagara beats Canisius". WIVB-TV. January 27, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ "A higher bridge for Canisius, Niagara". uscho.com. November 4, 2010. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ "COLLEGE ROUNDUP (JAN 31): NU, Canisius to battle for Canal Cup". Niagara Gazette. January 31, 2007. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ ^a ^b "Battle of the Bridge". GoGriffs.com. 2008-06-23. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
^ Harrington, Mike (February 2, 2007). "Canisius, Niagara add to rivalry". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ "Battle of the Bridge". PurpleEagles.com. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
^ "Battle of the Bridge - Canisius College Athletics". gogriffs.com. Retrieved 2021-12-30.
^ "Battle of the Bridge - Niagara University Athletics". purpleeagles.com. Retrieved 2024-02-06.

v t e All-sports or multi-sport rivalries in NCAA Division I
Trophy/point system competitions	Arizona–Arizona State (Territorial Cup Series) Boston University–Holy Cross (Turnpike Trophy) Clemson–South Carolina (Palmetto Series) George Mason–George Washington (Revolutionary Rivalry) Georgia Southern–Georgia State (Modern Day Hate) Indiana–Purdue (Indiana National Guard Governor's Cup) Iowa–Iowa State (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) James Madison–Old Dominion (Royal Rivalry) New Mexico–New Mexico State (Rio Grande Rivalry) Oklahoma–Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series) Oregon–Oregon State (Civil War Series) Sacramento State–UC Davis (Causeway Classic) South Florida–UCF (War on I-4) Texas State–UTSA (I-35 Rivalry) UCLA–USC (SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup) Virginia–Virginia Tech (Commonwealth Clash)
Defunct trophy/ point competitions	Duke–North Carolina (Carlyle Cup) Kansas–Missouri (Border Showdown Series) Texas–Texas A&M (Lone Star Showdown)
Overall rivalries	BYU–Utah Canisius–Niagara (Battle of the Bridge) Cincinnati–Louisville Cincinnati–Memphis Cincinnati–Xavier Colorado State–Wyoming (Border War) Dartmouth–New Hampshire Duke–North Carolina Duke–North Carolina–NC State–Wake Forest (Tobacco Road) Florida–Kentucky Fordham–Manhattan (Battle of the Bronx) Fordham–St. John's George Mason–VCU Hofstra–Stony Brook (Battle of Long Island) Houston–Rice Houston–SMU Illinois–Indiana Indiana–Kentucky Indiana–Purdue Iowa–Iowa State Kansas–Kansas State (Sunflower Showdown) Kansas–Missouri (Border War) Kentucky–Louisville Kentucky–Tennessee Lamar–McNeese (Battle of the Border) Louisville–Memphis North Carolina–NC State North Carolina–Wake Forest North Carolina A&T–North Carolina Central North Carolina A&T–Winston-Salem State NC State–Wake Forest Norfolk State–Old Dominion North Carolina A&T–UNC Greensboro (Battle of Market Street) Old Dominion–William & Mary Oregon–Oregon State Princeton–Rutgers Tennessee–Vanderbilt UCLA–USC UConn–UMass

v t e Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball
Venues	Broadway Auditorium (1936–1939) Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (1940–1995) Marine Midland Arena (1996–1998) Koessler Center (1999–present)
Rivalries	Niagara
Culture & lore	Petey "Canisius, Blue and Gold"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Canisius Golden Griffins men's ice hockey
Formerly the Canisius Ice Griffs
Playing venues	Dann Memorial Ice Rink (1980–1991) Buffalo State Sports Arena (1991–2014) LECOM Harborcenter (2014–present)
Head coaches	Brian Cavanaugh (1980–1982, 1983–2004) Carl Koeppel (1982–1983) Clancy Seymour (2004–2005) Dave Smith (2005–2017) Trevor Large (2017–present)
Seasons	1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	NYCHA (1982–1986) ECAC West (1987–1998) MAAC (1998–2003) Atlantic Hockey (2003–2024) Atlantic Hockey America (2024–Present)
Rivalries	Niagara Purple Eagles Battle of the Bridge RIT Tigers
All-time leaders	Mike Torrillo (265 Points) Mike Torrillo (121 Goals) Derek Slater (45 Wins)
NCAA Tournament appearances	2013 2023
Conference Tournament titles	Atlantic Hockey: 2013 2023
Canisius University Buffalo, New York

v t e Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball
Venues	Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center (1973–1982 full-time, part-time 1988–1996) Gallagher Center (1949–1973, 1982–present)
Rivalries	Canisius
Culture & lore	Gambling scandal
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Dwyer Arena (1996–present)
Head coaches	Blaise MacDonald (1996–2001) Dave Burkholder (2001–2017) Jason Lammers (2017–present)
Seasons	1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	ECAC West (1996–1998) CHA (1999–2010) Atlantic Hockey (2010–2024) Atlantic Hockey America (2024–present)
Rivalries	Canisius Golden Griffins Battle of the Bridge RIT Tigers
All-time leaders	Ted Cook (78 Goals) Chris Moran (102 Assists) Barret Ehgoetz (166 Points) Greg Gardner (64 Wins)
NCAA Tournament appearances	2000 2004 2008 2013
Conference Tournament titles	CHA: 2000 2004 2008
Niagara University Lewiston, New York