​The Rochester Knighthawks, through a partnership with the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA), will host their inaugural Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex from Saturday, Aug. 12 to Sunday, Aug. 13.

“I am extremely excited to host our first tournament,” said Knighthawks Academy Director and Knighthawks defenseman Brad Gillies. “We have teams from both the US and Canada which should make for new competition for all teams. “The Jr. Knighthawks have been working really hard over the past four weeks, so it will be fun to get them in some game situations and playing against other kids.”

Jr. Knighthawks teams will compete in the PeeWee (5th and 6th grade), Bantam (7/8 grade) and Midget (9/10 grade) divisions. The teams will be coached by Knighthawks players Luke Laszkiewicz and Gillies.

Over a dozen teams will play in the two-day USBOXLA sanctioned event, including the Nepean Knights (Ontario), Allegany Arrows, Akwesasne Storm, Seneca Elite and the Tech Valley Attack. Local clubs also participating in the tournament are the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Blaze Lacrosse. Click here to access the complete tournament schedule.

The Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational will serve as a primer for the fifth annual Jr. NLL Tournament. The weekend-long competition will take place from Friday, Aug. 25 to Sunday, Aug. 27 at the Toronto Rock Athletic Center and Glen Abbey Community Center in Oakville, Ontario.

Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex is breaking ground at 3 p.m. at its facility at 2700 Brighton-Henrietta Townline Road on the final phase of a multi-year expansion project.

The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council award for the expansion features a new Lattimore Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation location and a state of the art Fitness Center.

Bill Grays Regional Iceplex attracts more than 1.6 million visitors annually, making it one of the single largest venues in the Finger Lakes region by attendance. A Camoin & Associates 2015 study shows out of town visitors participating in large scale tournaments held at the facility generate 18.4 million dollars in spending at local businesses.

General Manager Christopher Woodworth says, “This is a win for the region. We can now attract more ice hockey teams and tournaments, recapturing a large share of the market that has moved to other venues throughout the Northeast and Canada.”

Monroe County Executive, Cheryl Dinolfo adds, “The Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex is a staple tourist destination offering high-end food, retail and fitness options for Monroe County residents and out of town visitors. In addition to creating hundreds of jobs, this expansion will greatly boost tourism spending at surrounding hotels, restaurants and other local tourist attractions.”
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John Shuman, Owner of Lattimore Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation says, “Lattimore Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation is excited to offer a one of a kind fitness center and the opening of our 22nd physical therapy location. The new addition to the Bill Grays Iceplex at MCC will serve the busy schedules of local families and the many out of town visitors who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while they are at the facility for long stays.”