Was there ever a doubt?
This afternoon, Chaos LC goalie Blaze Riorden earned the No. 1 spot in the Premier Lacrosse League Players Top 50. As the name implies, PLL players rank their peers — a staple of the league’s offseason cycle since its inaugural year in 2019.
1. Blaze Riorden (@BRiorden10)
— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) December 17, 2021
The Players Top 50 — voted on by the players. Presented by @warriorlax. pic.twitter.com/GdVK6ySuUt
The honor is the latest distinction in a banner year for Riorden. A few days before the Chaos faced the Whipsnakes in the championship game at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., Riorden received his third consecutive Goalie of the Year award and was named the league’s MVP — the first goalie in pro outdoor lacrosse to win the award since 2002. Riorden made 15 saves (63 percent) in his team’s 14-9 win over the Whipsnakes to earn MVP of the title game, too.
“Blaze does it his way,” Chaos defenseman Jarrod Neumann said. “It’s authentic. It’s real. No gimmicks. That’s what makes him special.”
The announcement comes a year after Riorden ranked sixth in the Top 50. “Grateful forever but put some respect on this position,” Riorden wrote on Instagram in response to the rankings.
This season, he let his play speak for itself. He finished the regular season with a 61-percent save percentage to go along with a league-high 149 saves. He consistently sparked transition opportunities and managed to outdo even himself, stopping 63 percent of the shots he faced in the postseason to help fuel the Chaos’ championship run despite entering the playoffs ranked sixth. Riorden’s career save percentage in the PLL stands at a remarkable 59 percent.
It’s easy to respect that.
“He defines his success by our team’s success,” Chaos head coach Andy Towers said during the week leading up to the championship game. “You’re not going to find a guy that’s less impressed with himself. When the best player in the world takes on that characteristic, it spreads in a very positive way throughout the locker room. That’s exactly what’s happened.
“He plays the game at the highest level better than anybody else on the planet, but in my opinion, he’s still a better teammate and leader than he is lacrosse player, which is crazy to think. But it’s absolutely the truth.”
Archers midfielder Tom Schreiber came in at No. 2 a year after being ranked No. 1. Cannons attackman Lyle Thompson rounded out the top 3.
Check out the full rankings here.