(Rochester, July 23)… Some of the most devoted lacrosse fans in Rochester will travel to Hatfield, Pa., to compete today in the Ninth Annual Fann Cup. The Krewhawks will represent the Rochester Knighthawks at the charity tournament to benefit the Laurel House.

“It’s an honor to play for such a great cause. Laurel House is a domestic violence shelter for abused women and their children is dear to the heart of the Fann Cup community,” said team captain John Donnelly. “Louise Capriotti, the Fann Cup photographer for the 2006 Fann Cup in Philly, fell victim to domestic violence several months after the tournament that year. We honor her by playing this weekend and raising money to support Laurel House.”

The Fann Cup tournament is being held at the BucksMont Indoor Sports Center at 2278 North Penn Road from Friday, July 23rd to Sunday, July 25th. The event has raised over $35,000 in the past eight years and has grown to include teams from Toronto, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Buffalo, Rochester, Chicago and Boston. For more information, please go to www.fanncup.com.

This season, the Philadelphia's Fann Cup committee selected the Laurel House, which provides a shelter and support for victims of domestic violence, but attempts to help break the cycle through education and other activities.

"Fann Cup is all about the environment. It’s more about just playing lacrosse. It’s about having fun and raising money for a good cause," said Krewhawk Brian Kiefer. "Every year there’s more fans you meet from around league, especially with the addition of Minneapolis last year and now this year’s addition of Boston. Since ’07, I’ve looked forward to Fann every summer to see and catch up with a lot of people you don’t get to see every week of the NLL season."