The event will be held in Oakville, Ontario this weekend.
The Jr. Rochester Knighthawks will face their toughest competition this weekend as they travel to the Jr. NLL Tournament. The fifth annual event will take place Friday through Sunday at the Toronto Rock Athletic Center and the Glen Abbey Community Center in Oakville, Ontario.
Junior clubs for the Knighthawks, Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks, Colorado Mammoth, Georgia Swarm, New England Black Wolves, Saskatchewan Rush, Toronto Rock and Vancouver Stealth, along with Junior Edmonton and Junior Philadelphia clubs, will compete with players participating across Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget age levels.
The teams will follow modified NLL playing rules to create a safe, yet competitive, environment for the young athletes. Players, coaches and staff from the NLL will take part in the weekend, which will kick off with an opening ceremony and skills competition on Friday.
The Jr. Knighthawks teams will be coached by Knighthawks players Brad Gillies, Luke Laszkiewicz, Dan Lomas and Dan Dawson.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to coach the Jr. Knighthawks in the Jr. NLL Tournament,” said Lomas. “This is a great event that these kids have been working very hard to prepare for. Being involved at the minor level of the game is something that professional lacrosse players take great pride in, and I can’t wait to get things going this weekend.”
The Jr. Knighthawks are shooting for their second championship in two weeks. On August 13, the Midget team captured the Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational. The Jr. Knighthawks Midgets will begin their quest for the Champion’s Cup on Friday, as they play the junior teams from Vancouver and Edmonton.
“I think it helped us work as a team and brought us closer together,” said forward Casey McDermott about the benefits of playing in the Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational. “We worked on some plays, so we are more prepared for the (Jr. NLL) tournament.”
The Jr. Knighthawks Bantams will begin play Friday at 3:00 p.m. against the Jr. Stealth, while the Pee Wee side will open their schedule at 5:00 p.m. versus the Jr. Bandits.
Over the past four Jr. NLL Tournaments, the Knighthawks have won five Champion’s Cups. In 2014, Rochester captured the Bantam and Midget titles. In 2015, the Jr. Knighthawks won the Cup at the PeeWee, Bantam and Midget divisions.
For more information, please call the Knighthawks Office at (585) 454-4295.