Years later, Riorden is a two-discipline star, playing forward for the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings and shining as an All-Star goalie for the Premier Lacrosse League’s Chaos. And to top it off, he’s preparing for his second appearance with the U.S. national team in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship Sept. 19-28 in Langley, British Columbia.
It takes hard work to make a professional living at two different positions. The road hasn’t always been smooth for Riorden, but he’s at the top of his game and hopes to stay there.
“I didn’t wake up one morning and turn from a goalie to an NLL forward,” he said. “It never works like that. There were steps along the way. The path to the most success is the one with the hills on it.”
Looking back on it, Riorden’s blossoming NLL career was a long time coming. His family had season tickets to the Rochester Knighthawks, his favorite team growing up. While his friends and their parents went to get refreshments during the game, Riorden stayed in his seat.
“While they were getting Dippin’ Dots, he’d watch the warmups and let me know if there were changes,” Mike Riorden said. “At 10 or 11, he would say, ‘Oh, they’re running different lines or this guy is off the line.’ He watched and saw everything.”
Riorden was a talented youngster and it translated when he made it to Fairport High School. He helped Fairport to two New York Section V championships as a two-position player while garnering attention from college coaches across the country. Albany coach Scott Marr approached Riorden as an attackman and was surprised to learn his recruit also tended the goal.
Marr offered the chance to play goalie and man-up with the Great Danes and the Thompsons. That was all Riorden needed to hear.
“It was something no other coach would give me an opportunity to do,” he said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m doing that.’”
Riorden was a starter during his freshman year, leading a nationally-competitive team. That summer, Ty Thompson approached him with an opportunity — come to the Akwesasne Reservation, learn about their culture and give box lacrosse a chance.
“I got to know Blaze, and I realized how good of stick skills he had,” Thompson said. “Even though he was a goalie, he had better hands than most offensive players.”
And so Riorden packed up his things and headed some five hours north to live with the Thompsons for the summer. There, he was invited to try out for the Junior B Akwesasne Indians.
He wasn’t sure what he was getting into, but it was easy saying yes to another chance to play the game.
“I didn’t have any of the proper pads on,” he joked. “In the locker room, I’m screwing my neck guard off my Albany helmet, so I’d at least have a helmet without a neck guard.”
After the tryout, Riorden was the talk of the reservation.
“‘You did pretty good,’” said Thompson, who wasn’t at the tryout.
“‘How would you know?’” Riorden answered.
Riorden, the only American, had done so well that word had made it to the Thompsons about their friend. He was told he “wasn’t ready” after the tryout, but after few a YouTube videos and a six-point game early in the season, Riorden was a fixture for Akwesasne.