WORCESTER — The College of the Holy Cross and Boston University have reignited their Turnpike Trophy competition, an athletic series between the in-state Patriot League rivals that includes all head-to-head matchups throughout the school year.

Points will be awarded for head-to-head victories, both in the regular season and the postseason, with the Turnpike Trophy being awarded to the school with the most points at year's end.

The rivalry will be in the spotlight this Friday (Jan. 6) when the women's ice hockey programs face off in the nightcap of a Frozen Fenway doubleheader. The Turnpike Trophy will be on display at Fenway during Friday's contest, which is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised live on NESN.

"Rivalries are part of what makes college sports so special, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to reimagine the Turnpike Trophy with Boston University," said Holy Cross director of athletics Kit Hughes. "We have great respect for our colleagues and the student-athletes within Terrier Athletics, and I know that the added fuel to these head-to-head competitions will be embraced by our student-athletes and community alike. We are excited to get started!" 

The two institutions have been conference mates since 2013 when BU joined the Patriot League and have a history that dates back nearly 120 years as their first-ever meeting took place on Jan. 10, 1903, with a men's basketball contest in Worcester.

With just 42 miles between their respective exits on the Massachusetts Turnpike separating the two campuses, they first found themselves together in the Yankee Conference in the early 1970s and went on to form the ECAC North in 1979. Holy Cross departed for the MAAC in 1983 and later helped form the Patriot League.

"We are thrilled to rejuvenate the Turnpike Trophy and continue building our great rivalry with Holy Cross," said BU director of athletics Drew Marrochello. "The upcoming semester will include many exciting contests between the two schools, and what better way to start it off than Friday at one of the most iconic venues in all of sports. We look forward to many more great years of competition with the Crusaders."

BU has held on to the Turnpike Trophy since its inception in 2015 and currently holds a 5-1 advantage in this year's competition following wins by its field hockey, women's soccer, women's ice hockey and men's and women's swimming & diving teams. Holy Cross earned a point with a victory in men's soccer.

Here is a schedule of Turnpike Trophy events for the spring semester:
Jan. 6 – Women's Ice Hockey at Frozen Fenway 
Jan. 13 – Women's Ice Hockey at Holy Cross               
Feb. 1 – Men's Basketball at BU
Feb. 15 – Men's Basketball at Holy Cross
Feb. 15 – Women's Basketball at BU
March 1 – Women's Basketball at Holy Cross
March 18 – Men's Lacrosse at BU
March 29 – Women's Lacrosse at BU
April 1-2 – Softball at Holy Cross
April 14 – Men's Tennis at Holy Cross
April 22 – Women's Tennis at Holy Cross

ABOUT HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS
Holy Cross boasts 27 NCAA Division I teams as members of the Patriot League, Atlantic Hockey Association and the Women's Hockey East Association. Holy Cross' athletic teams are tied for sixth in the nation with an overall graduation rate of 98 percent, the 16th consecutive year at 97 percent or higher. 

ABOUT HOLY CROSS
The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts — the second-largest city in New England — is among the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,100 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition, and is one of only 85 colleges in America that meets 100% of students' demonstrated financial need. Holy Cross has made a positive impact in society since its founding in 1843 by graduating students who distinguish themselves as thoughtful leaders in business, professional and civic life.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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