Anticipation builds at campuses ahead of Route 11 Rivalry games
CANTON, New York (WWNY) - It’s the north country’s biggest rivalry weekend, the Route 11 Rivalry - Clarkson vs. St. Lawrence University hockey.
“You have your Ohio State - Michigan’s, you have your Army - Navy’s, but there’s really nothing like Clarkson - SLU,” said Mackenzie Soper, a graduate student at St. Lawrence University.
It’s a rivalry the two communities are excited to see.
“These rivalry games, I will say, are electric,” said Zoe Davenport, a sophomore at St. Lawrence University.
Students at both schools say the energy is palpable.
“You walk around there’s just a buzz in the air,” said Finn Murphy, St. Lawrence University sophomore.
“I think that’s my favorite part,” Clarkson Pep Band President Jonas Petro said. “Everyone’s a little bit more excited.”
St. Lawrence University’s Brewer Bookstore is selling shirts for the rivalry, while the Clarkson Pep Band is selling some more colorful ones on their campus.
While the rivalry is a friendly one, it can still get a little chirpy in the crowd.
“We always get a little bit rowdy during the game, the games are really fun banging up on the glass. Hopefully, Appleton is a hostile place to play for opposing teams,” Murphy said.
“We actually get to go to St. Lawrence as well and whenever the band goes there it’s always really interesting because we’re in our own little section and the student section is against us, so there’s a lot of chirping going on there too,” said Petro.
Zoe Davenport helps run the social media accounts for SLU’s teams, putting Instagram reels like this together, which has introduced her to many of the teams' fans.
“I’ve met some really great people in the community just from working these games and interacting with fans,” she said.
“There really is nothing like a sports rivalry,” Soper added.
It’s a rivalry both campus communities take pride in, and one students said puts Canton and Potsdam on the map among hockey towns.
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