Copper Cup

The series began in 2006, which was only Montana State's third season as a team, where they lost to Montana 13–8. The early years of the rivalry were informal, with the hosting team alternating every year.

In 2014, the teams decided to formalize the rivalry, and create a local event of the game. Being another team from Montana, the newly formed team from the University of Providence was invited to play in the Copper Cup, which was then restructured into a round-robin tournament format.[3] In addition to the tournament, several high school matches between local high schools were hosted.[4] The Copper Cup trophy was created and donated by local blacksmithing company Copper Mountain Creations in Missoula, Montana, it's worth an estimated $2,000,[5] and the winner of the game possesses the cup for one year, in addition to having their team's name engraved onto it.[6]

The tournament operated in this manner for 5 years from 2014 to 2018, when providence folded their lacrosse program. Throughout their time as a team, Providence only managed to secure a single win in the Copper Cup tournament, a 9–8 victory against Montana State in 2017, their victory led to the only 3-way tie of the tournament's history, with the cup ultimately being awarded to Montana based on score differential.[7]

Since 2019, the Copper Cup has returned to a single-game format, rather than a tournament style format.