Crowchild Classic postponed, games won't be played at Scotiabank Saddledome

There will be no Crowchild Classic at Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome in 2022.

Instead, the annual games between the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University men's and women's hockey teams originally planned for Feb. 3 are being rescheduled to later in the month and will be played at Father David Bauer Arena and Flames Community Arenas. No date has been announced.

The move is a result of the rising spread of COVID-19, namely the Omicron variant.

“It’s certainly disappointing that one of the marquee events on the U SPORTS hockey calendar will not happen for a second straight year, but given the current circumstances this is the appropriate decision,” said Ben Matchett, UCalgary Dinos director of athletics.

“The health and safety of our student-athletes, staff, and our student body is our number one priority, and with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant and both campuses in online learning until at least the end of January, moving forward with this event would not have been prudent.

“We remain committed to this event with our partners, the Calgary Flames and Mount Royal University, and we look forward to a successful return to the Scotiabank Saddledome in 2023.”

The annual games between the two post-secondary institutions started in 2012, the year MRU joined the Canada West conference.

"The series is highlighted annually by a doubleheader of men's and women’s hockey, hosted by the Calgary Flames, at the Scotiabank Saddledome. In the first instalment of the rivalry games in 2012, the Crowchild Classic broke a 42-year-old Canada West attendance record and set a U SPORTS men's hockey attendance record with a total of 12,859 fans in 2016," read a release.

"In just eight seasons, the game has become a fixture on the Calgary sports scene and one of the marquee university sport events in Canada each year."

Each of the men's and women's hockey teams receive an annual $20,000 donation from the Flames Foundation and award four students per year at each school with the Calgary Flames Hockey Scholarship.