(December 29, 2012)… With over a foot of snow blanketing Rochester, four members of the Knighthawks headed south for the holiday weekend. Owner and General Manager Curt, Head Coach Mike Hasen, and players Cody Jamieson and Sid Smith will spend three days in Wesley Chapel, Fla., which is 25 miles from downtown Tampa.

With the National Lacrosse League season set to start on January 5th, one might think the quartet was enjoying a last vacation before the beginning of another five-month season. However, the Knighthawks are participating in the Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions presented by Pasco County. 

The U-13 Grand River Ironmen are coached by Styres, Jamieson, Smith and Nick Skye. It marks the second straight year that the Six Nations-based team has qualified for the elite national championship. The kids advanced to Florida after winning the Turkeyshoot Championship in Ithaca in November. 

Jamieson, who has excelled at both brands of lacrosse as a player, commented on delving into the field lacrosse coaching ranks. The 2012 Championship Game MVP gets to train the next generation of Six Nations stars, which includes his cousin Bo Bowhunter.

“I coached a little bit before, but this my first field lacrosse team. I am definitely learning a lot. The kids are great and a lot of fun,” said Jamieson. “We don’t play the brand of field lacrosse that you see at the college and university level. So it’s good to show them a couple of little tricks to help them adapt to the American field lacrosse game. Hopefully, we will see some of them advance to the college and university ranks."

The Ironmen are one of 27 teams from around the United States and Canada. On Day One of the Round Robin, the Ironmen earned a 2-1 record, losing their opening game 7-6 before rebounding with two convincing victories. 

Another team in the U-13 age bracket is Northern Lacrosse coached by Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen. Hasen’s team also fought its way to a 2-1 record after the first day of the tournament. Northern Lacrosse also dropped it opening game before rallying for two wins to end the first day. It’s an opportunity for Hasen to coach his son Austin, as he works as an assistant coach for the team in its inaugural entry into the tournament.

“The atmosphere is awesome and the amount of teams that are playing at the same time on different fields is impressive,” said Hasen. “Other than being freezing cold, it has been great.”

On Sunday, Northern Lacrosse and the Grand River Ironmen both have 11:45 a.m. playoff games with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line. Northern Lacrosse takes on the Seattle Starz, while Grand River battles Team Minnesota.