(August 2, 2012)… The Rochester Krewhawks advanced to the Finals of the 2012 Fann Cup last weekend in Blaine, Minn. They departed from Rochester to play in the 11th Annual Charity Lacrosse Tournament on July 28th.

(Pictured: Casey Pritchard, Tim Bartz, Jamie Syrett, Corey Frantz, John Terrigino, Melanie Childers, John Donnelly, Tyler Brown, Daniel Paur and Raymond Laird)

Here was the opportunity to use the skills they learned and improved upon during the many Tuesday night practices at the Rochester Sports Garden. For one day in July, the fans – who ranged in occupation from brewing technician to environmental engineer to small business owner to high school student – came together to represent the Rochester Knighthawks.

The Krewhawks mission was to become the first Fann Cup team to win a Championship the same year their NLL team won the Champion’s Cup. The six-team charity tournament was held at the Schwan’s® SuperRink (National Sports Center).

It was a grueling day for the team with only nine runners and one goalie, but the Krewhawks finished with a 4-1 record, defeating the Wings Brigade in the Semifinals. All that stood in their way was the Championship Game against the Cloverz. The Rochester team battled the entire game, but fell 5-3 to place second in the annual event.

“We made a valiant effort and made it to the Championship Game,” said Stock Exchange restaurant owner and “enforcer” John Terrigino. “We played hard with nine players, but it was tough playing back-to-back games.”

The Krewhawks, established in 2002, were just two goals away from winning their second Fann Cup title. The team captured the 2005 Championship.

In the past 10 years, the event has raised over $50,000 for various charities. The host team this year was the Minnesota Stingers, a team comprised of fans of the Minnesota Swarm. This year’s recipient charities included PawPADS, a service that trains dogs for the disabled, and Lax-4-Life. Lax-4-Life is an annual summer camp for Native American youth that teaches lacrosse as part of a healthy lifestyle and a way to connect with cultural heritage.