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Lax tourneys rev up for the summer

The Local Yocals, a team comprised of players from the Olympic Region, gathers for a photo Saturday following their first game of the High Peaks Summit Classic at the North Elba athletic fields in Lake Placid. (Photo provided)

LAKE PLACID — The summer lacrosse season is kicking into gear in Lake Placid.

A new tournament, the High Peaks Summit Classic, took place over the weekend at the North Elba athletic fields and featured six teams battling it out on Saturday and Sunday.

The tournament is one of four organized by Summit Lacrosse Ventures that will take place in Lake Placid this summer. It opened a run of events that will culminate in August with one of the biggest tournaments in the game, the 27th annual Lake Placid Summit Classic that runs from July 31 to Aug. 6.

With a long wait to get into the wildly popular Lake Placid Summit Classic, the games over the weekend offered players who have been unable to step on the fields in August to get some playing time earlier in the summer.

“There’s a lengthy waiting list to get into the Summit tournament,” said SLV spokesperson Sandy Caligiore. “This is a brand new event we are trying out for those who have been unable to get into the Summit but still want the experience of playing in Lake Placid.”

Local Yocals takes on the Genesee Screamers on Saturday in the High Peaks Summit Classic. (Photo provided)

Team Philly finished as the top team over the weekend, posting a 4-0 record, which included Sunday’s 13-5 victory over the Genesee Screamers in the championship game. By winning, Team Philly earned a future berth in the already booked Summit Classic tournaments.

The Olympic Region was represented by the most veteran players in the tournament. The group was known as the Local Yocals and they finished with a 2-2 record competing against the young guns in the event.

Other teams playing over the weekend were Hoot Owl Lacrosse, Lax All Stars and the Green Machine.

There was no break in the action following the completion of Sunday’s games. The second tournament of the summer kicked off Monday and ends today with young players taking the stage in the second Lake Placid Summer Youth Classic, which was established a year ago. That event features some of the top school-age players in the nation competing in five divisions.

The final two SLV lacrosse gatherings in Lake Placid will kick into gear in less than a month, starting with a women’s and girls’ event known as the Northstar Invitational. Caligiore said that event offers talented players an opportunity to shine in front of the many college scouts who will be in attendance. It’s hosted at the Northwood School from July 24 to 27 and takes place for the sixth straight summer in Lake Placid.

After the Northstar Invitational, the lacrosse action immediately turns to the Lake Placid Summit Classic, which Caligiore dubbed the “main event.”

“When all is said and done, these four events will run 20,000 people through Lake Placid this summer,” said Caligiore, adding that the tournaments are expected to provide a $7 million impact to the local economy.

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