Checkmate Dominates, Captures Lake Placid Crown

The ageless Giampaolo prepares for battle

Lake Placid, NY-- With stellar midfield play and a well executed game plan; a much older Checkmate defeated the much younger Team Long Island-Lax Unlimited 7-6 for the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Championship. It was a tough fought, hard hitting game with both teams playing to a 4-4 tie at halftime.

Checkmate Goalie Mike Swift (Adelphi '90) and his counterpart Keith Huber (East Islip '85, St. John's '89) both played awesome. Each goalkeeper had strong tournaments. "Swiftie" as his teammates and friends refer to him as, went on to garner tournament MVP honors; while Huber allowed only 9 goals in 8 quarters of play.

Checkmate relied on a defensive strategy that involved locking off Team LI's middies forcing their attack to handle the ball during set offense series. That freed up their close-D to tee-off on LI's attackmen. Team LI's heralded attack unit featured Bruce Bruno (Cornell), Dan Boltja (Cornell), and John Wilkens (Johns Hopkins). The usually productive unit, who were instrumental in helping Team LI reach the finals were held in check by the stingy Checkmate defense which was led by Glenn Mattson (Marist '90). Insult was added to injury when Team LI attackman Dan "Soldier"Boltja went out of the game in the beginning of the 4th quarter with a pulled hamstring. It is also worth noting that Boltja played attack for Checkmate on their Grand Masters team at this same week of play during the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament. He led that offense with 9 goals and 8 assists in four games. It seems that Boltja might have been overworked pulling double duty.

Checkmate pulled ahead to a 7-4 lead going into the 4th as their game plan unfolded perfectly. Team LI pulled within 1 goal with four minutes left to play but ultimately ran out of gas. Team LI had challenges the entire second half clearing the ball, controlling the ball on offense, sloppy goal tending, and scooping up ground balls.

The most memorable play of the game and one which symbolized Checkmate's heart and toughness came late in the third quarter. Team LI-Lax Unlimited midfielder Chris "Bergie" Bergeson had the ball at the top of the box in his offensive zone. Covering Bergeson was non other than Gregg "Blanket" Giampaolo. "Blanket" lived up to his nickname when Bergeson in an apparent attempt to isolate, pulled him to midfield to begin his dodge. With the stick in his left hand, "Bergie" attempted a left-to-right split-dodge on Giampaolo. Giampaolo 15 years his senior, stepped up right into Bergeson and jacked him up! The blow sent "Bergie" to the turf on his back. Giampaolo then swiped at his opponent's stick dislodging the ball. He scooped up the loose GB and initiated a fast break which led to what was ultimately Checkmate's wining goal.

Some feel these players represent the last era of lacrosse in which Long Island players and teams dominated the game. They cite the talent pools that have been expanded to different parts of the country outside of the usual hotbeds of LI, Upstate NY, and MD. Just take a look at many of the college lacrosse rosters these days. You'll find players from Florida, California, and Minnesota to name a few. The decline of Long Island's dominance is evident in the fact that no true Long Island Team competed at the younger Open Division here in Placid, it was more of a mix of players; again reflective of current college rosters. All in all this was a great showcase of Long Island lacrosse, something to be proud of, no matter what the outcome was.