October 2008 
Champions:
Women’s Division:  Heroes Lacrosse
Men’s Elite Division:  Wimmer Solutions
Men’s Masters Division:  Wimmer Solutions
Men’s Grand Masters Division:  Canada West
Honorable Mention: Hawaii Da Kine
 
Commentary by Dan Cho 
For 18 years, Hawaii has hosted the Great Game in tournament fashion.  Kapiolani Park, in beautiful Waikiki, Oahu Island, was the gathering place of players and fans who descended from the world over on the wings of October.  US Lacrosse Hawaii Chapter continued one of lacrosse’s best-known traditions, and was proud to commence the games of the 2008 Hawaii Lacrosse Invitational Tournament as its host sponsor.

The weekend’s first afternoon began with scrimmages between the USA’s best professional lacrosse players (including Alrich, Striebel, Christmas, Powell, Powell, Doyle, Snider, Queener, Walters, Harrison and others) and the sport’s newest line of players hailing from the Far East.  As has become a signature of the HLIT, the spirit of friendship on the field ignited the competitors’ first plays.  Brought together by a common passion for the game and the interest of putting an individual stamp on a world-class event, the scrimmages led the way to the preliminary Masters and Grand Masters division events held later that afternoon.

Most believed that Friday provided an auspicious beginning to the weekend.  Dazzling sunset lighting coated the underside of a vast blanket of patchy, puffy clouds in the sky above Waikiki early Friday evening.  Visible from the tournament fields, nearly everyone who witnessed the amazing sunset were unable to depart the Kapiolani Park until nature’s show wound down to dimmer lighting.  Hopes for more of the same conditions abounded, but Friday evening would prove to be the last of fair weather for the weekend.

Tournament participants would face the following two days of spotty weather with a resilience few people imagined.  According to the HLIT’s most dedicated attendees, the tournament had never witnessed such extreme conditions.  It was wet!

Saturday’s first games started competition in the Women’s Division with barely a hiccup due to the rain.  Nervous glances at dark clouds in the distance for signs of flash quickly gave way to calculated player looks over the shoulder for signs of a “back door” or “cut” to the crease.  Game play commenced with defensive chatter, offensive calls and fan cheers rising above the pitter-patter of the morning drizzle.  Women’s division games started to establish winners and losers and players began to make their marks.

A visiting team from the Czech Republic (aka Prague Chillies) made their first appearance in Hawaii parrying thrusts from Team Victoria and Pepperdine University, only to fall short in points when all was told.  Portland emerged victorious after its first game, beating local Team Eleu 8 to 3, and Heroes Lacrosse tested it’s mettle against a Japanese team from Kyushu and Hokkaido University in its first victory of the weekend. 

Heroes Lacrosse dominated the final scoreboard that weekend, running the best performers from Arizona State University and Wahine Lacrosse’s Team Holona into the loss column before meeting the Czechs in the final game.  Heroes routed the Chillies in the Women’s Final when all was said and done.  Heroes Lacrosse took home the leis, championship trophy and honor of the title in a 10 – 3 victory and undefeated 2008 Tournament record.

The men’s elite division teams dusted off their gear from Friday’s scrimmages and suited up for their preliminary rounds on Saturday morning.  Tokai University had a good showing in a game against Hawaii Da Kine, doubling points on the scoreboard for an 8-3 victory.  Da Kine would come back from the victory later that day however, for back-to-back victories against Chushikoku University and Kyushu, and would eventually win the “competition within the competition”.  The 2008 Hawaii Lacrosse Invitational Tournament “Championship Honu”, going to the best university-led team in the men’s open division, stayed with local talent.  They made University of Hawaii fans island-wide, proud to call them Warriors.

Open division US teams from the Pacific Northwest (the Smurfs) and from Northern California (Barbary Coast and Olympic) were dealt similar fortunes the Hawaii Koa team faced when facing the Crease Monkeys and Wimmer Solutions.  Game play was fierce at all levels, but was especially challenging to the teams who played in soggy conditions.

No one would avoid moisture in what became the island’s biggest water park. Raindrops pelted players moving at full velocity, clouding visual distance, wreaking havoc on fine-tuned stick strings and adding small ponds to the playing field.  Amazingly, spirits were buoyed on the sidelines, especially underneath the tents provided by US Lacrosse Hawaii Chapter.  These pockets of dryness allowed someone to spawn the suggestion to slide in the mud, and a spontaneous extra-curricular activity started.  (It didn’t end until the last game on Sunday!)

The Masters and Grand Masters divisions were filled out with 4 teams each this year.  In its 2nd year, the Grand Masters division saw a tie-breaking goal in the final 5 seconds of regulation time by team Canada West, who emerged the champion over Atlantic Sportswear.  It was truly a competition worth watching!

The Silver Monkeys faced Wimmer Masters in the Masters championship.  After playing each other once in the preliminary rounds, when CM came out on top 8 to 3, Wimmer was going into the division final the underdog.  But Wimmer Solutions was able to make needed adjustments to their game and fended off the CM’s second charge.  Despite Wimmer Masters’ 3 penalties to CM’s 2 penalties in the final, Wimmer emerged the victor this year, in a 3 to 1 final score.

The rivalry between these two clubs piqued everyone’s interest in the tournament’s final match-up.  Wimmer Solutions and the Crease Monkeys squared off for the Elite Championship game in fair weather, albeit a soggy field.  Highlights of this game were recorded by Inside Lacrosse Magazine’s roaming reporters so we’re able to provide clips of the action (on this web page to the right side).  Much mahalo to their crew!

What the film footage may not show is the nail-biting circumstances that unfolded on the field.  The game lead changed hands at least four times during the course of the 25-minute running-time halves.  Despite CM lead-scorer John Christmas’ four goals and the two “double-time” penalties Wimmer Solutions had to serve, the Crease Monkeys could not repeat their 2007 championship performance.  Wimmer Solutions took the championship trophy and Elite title in a 10 – 8 win.  Wimmer captain Matt Sauri announced the team’s selection of Most Valuable Player for the game was Matt Alrich and he was given special recognition.