ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Some of the best box lacrosse players in the area will compete this weekend at the Rochester Knighthawks’ Second Annual Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational. The USBOXLA-sanctioned event will feature 15 teams from New York, Massachusetts, and southern Ontario.
“I’m very impressed with the competition at this year’s tournament,” said Knighthawks Academy Director and Jr. Knighthawks coach Brad Gillies. “There are some great teams throughout all three age groups, which should make for an exciting tournament. I can’t wait to get started.”
The Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational will take place Saturday, Aug. 18 to Sunday, Aug. 19 at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. The two-day event features kids in the Pee Wee (5th and 6th grade), Bantam (7/8 grade) and Midget (9/10 grade) divisions.
The host Jr. Knighthawks headline the returning teams to the tournament, which also includes the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), who will compete at the Pee Wee and Bantam levels. AttackLax Northeast, who hails from Niskayuna, NY, will once again have teams in all three age groups. To follow all the action, fans can click here for all the results.
This year’s expanded field also includes four new teams: The Jr. Bandits, Team 51 Elite Lacrosse, Brady’s Bunch and the Western Woodsmen.
The Jr. Bandits will make their tournament debut as they travel down the Thruway to battle their junior rivals, the Jr. Knighthawks, in all three age groups. Team 51 Elite Lacrosse from Oshawa, Ontario has entered a team in the Pee Wee division. The team has a connection to the Knighthawks as they are coached by former Knighthawks greats Shawn Williams and Steve Toll, and former Ontario Raiders staff member Dan Pilon.
“We started Team 51 last year as a girl’s program. This is our first venture with some of Tucker’s buddies, his cousin and guys he played against,” said Williams, who founded the teams in honor of his late son. “I thought it was a great idea to get this part of Team 51 going on the boy’s side. What a perfect fit it is coming to Rochester for the Knighthawks tournament.”
One of the final new teams is Brady’s Bunch Lacrosse from Framingham, Mass. The roots of the program originated with Mike “Papi” Wein, who started Brady’s Bunch Lacrosse as a single team to play for his son, Brady, who was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Because of the positive impact of the original team and Brady, Brady’s Bunch Lacrosse has offered similar opportunities to players throughout the United States and Canada.
A second Brady’s Bunch team from Guelph, Ontario will play in the Pee Wee division. The Western Woodsmen, from Buffalo, round out the field as they will play in the five-team Bantam division.
At the invitational, the Knighthawks and Brady’s Bunch Lacrosse will hold a fundraiser for CURE Childhood Cancer Association. Fans can purchase stress balls at the Brady’s Bunch table to enter to win prizes donated by Brady’s Bunch and the Knighthawks. The Knighthawks are also holding a team fundraising competition through the sale of gift cards. Each player on the winning team will receive a Knighthawks/Brady’s Bunch prize pack. The proceeds from the sales will go directly to CURE.
Last summer at the inaugural Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational, the Jr. Knighthawks welcomed 13 teams to Rochester. The Jr. Knighthawks finished undefeated to capture the Midget Division championship, while the Bantams won silver and the Pee Wee team captured bronze.