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March 9, 2023 - The distance between Castine, Maine and Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts is, when measured in nautical miles, considerably less than the 300 road miles. And nautical miles would be appropriate given the towns are the respective homes of the Maine Maritime Academy (1-0) and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (2-0). When these two meet in Buzzards Bay on Saturday, March 11, they will be competing for the coveted Admiral’s Cup trophy.
The annual meeting between the academies is appropriately named the "Admiral's Cup" for the title given to the President of each institution. After each game the Admiral's Cup trophy is presented to the winning team, typically by the Admiral of the host school. “Ultimately this is about bragging rights for the next full calendar year until we meet a season later,” said Maine Maritime head coach Brandon Melville.
The Maine Maritime Academy Mariners captured the 2022 North Atlantic Conference championship but lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to Norwich University. They were selected to repeat as conference champions in 2023 and enter the game 1-0 having defeated the University of Southern Maine, 19-9, to open the season.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy also carries high expectations this season, their second in the Little East Conference. The Buccaneers were picked fourth in the conference preseason poll after losing on a last-second goal to eventual champion UMass-Boston, 21-20, in the LEC semis a year ago.
The Buccaneers hold a 9-6 overall series lead with Maine Maritime's last victory coming in 2011. The rivalry has endured fits and starts over the past several years with 2020 and 2021 games wiped out due to Covid. Prior to that, from 2014-2016, the two schools competed alongside SUNY Maritime in the Maritime Classic.
Massachusetts Maritime appears, then, to have the advantage having played two games in 2023, including a 15-12 win over Norwich last night, and getting the matchup on their home turf.
“Results show what they have shown in recent years, but each year is a new year with new faces and we're looking forward to Saturday afternoon's matchup down in Buzzards Bay and a shot to bring the cup back to Castine for the first time in 12 years,” Melville said.
Game time is 12 pm ET with livestream here.
The annual meeting between the academies is appropriately named the "Admiral's Cup" for the title given to the President of each institution. After each game the Admiral's Cup trophy is presented to the winning team, typically by the Admiral of the host school. “Ultimately this is about bragging rights for the next full calendar year until we meet a season later,” said Maine Maritime head coach Brandon Melville.
The Maine Maritime Academy Mariners captured the 2022 North Atlantic Conference championship but lost in the opening round of the NCAA tournament to Norwich University. They were selected to repeat as conference champions in 2023 and enter the game 1-0 having defeated the University of Southern Maine, 19-9, to open the season.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy also carries high expectations this season, their second in the Little East Conference. The Buccaneers were picked fourth in the conference preseason poll after losing on a last-second goal to eventual champion UMass-Boston, 21-20, in the LEC semis a year ago.
The Buccaneers hold a 9-6 overall series lead with Maine Maritime's last victory coming in 2011. The rivalry has endured fits and starts over the past several years with 2020 and 2021 games wiped out due to Covid. Prior to that, from 2014-2016, the two schools competed alongside SUNY Maritime in the Maritime Classic.
Massachusetts Maritime appears, then, to have the advantage having played two games in 2023, including a 15-12 win over Norwich last night, and getting the matchup on their home turf.
“Results show what they have shown in recent years, but each year is a new year with new faces and we're looking forward to Saturday afternoon's matchup down in Buzzards Bay and a shot to bring the cup back to Castine for the first time in 12 years,” Melville said.
Game time is 12 pm ET with livestream here.