Last year, Gretchen Meltzer's team underestimated things. Badly, Meltzer, the direct of catering at Gillette Stadium, said.

In 2008, in the first year that the Men's Lacrosse Championships took place at Gillette - the first time that any lacrosse game at all took place at Gillette, home of the New England Patriots - the caterers planned for about 240 people at the welcome banquet, she said. There were a little under 200 people eating.

"They ate us out of house and home last year," Meltzer said with a laugh. "You watch five plates go by, and then they come back for more."

This year, roughly the same amount of people showed up to the banquet. The caterers planned for 400.