Blaze Riorden had the odd distinction of dressing for a National Lacrosse League game last Sunday having scored more goals as a field lacrosse goaltender than as an indoor pro forward.
That no longer is true, because Riorden scored his first two NLL goals to help the Buffalo Bandits win 16-15 at New England. Previous evidence, via a May 2015 video viewed more than 800,000 times, had Riorden rushing out of his University of Albany crease to run the length of the field to score during an NCAA tournament game.
Being a field lacrosse goaltender is nothing like being a box lacrosse goaltender, Riorden explained when asked why he does not play the same position in both versions of the sport.
“It’s totally different,” he said. “In field, there’s less padding and your stick is up. That came naturally to me.”
Indoors, he doesn’t have that feeling and prefers to play out.
Riorden is the third man in recent memory to tend goal outdoors and run the floor indoors. Quint Kessenich was a star goaltender at Johns Hopkins in the 1990s and played one pro indoor season in 1999 with the Baltimore Thunder as a forward. Brett Queener made a similar switch when he went from Albany to the Boston Blazers from 2009-2011.
“I grew up watching Brett and idolizing him,” Riorden said.
Matt Vinc has done it the opposite way as a defenseman at Canisius and on Canada’s world champion field teams while tending goal for the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks.
Riorden, appearing in his second NLL game, scored Buffalo’s 14th and 15th goals and the Bandits edged the New England Black Wolves 16-15 on Mitch de Snoo’s goal 25 seconds into overtime Sunday.
Riorden, 23, grew up in the Rochester region and was a Knighthawks season ticket holder. It was in his freshman year at Albany that teammate Ty Thompson turned him onto indoor lacrosse. Riorden spent three summers with the Akwesasne Indians learning the box game, and he was a forward on the U.S. team that won bronze at the 2015 world indoor championship.
“That really got me prepared for both the MLL and NLL,” he said of 2015 at Onondaga Nation and Syracuse. “I was still in college and the team was made up of pros. I matured and learned a lot being around them. It was definitely a good learning experience for me.”
Riorden lives in Rochester, continues to tend goal outdoors with Major League Lacrosse's Rochester Rattlers, and participates in instructional clinics with youth players around the United States. He’s got his eyes on the 2019 world indoor tournament in Langley, British Columbia.
“That’s definitely on my radar,” he said. “I definitely want to take another shot at it.”
He was not selected in the 2016 NLL entry draft but soon afterward received an invitation to camp from Bandits general manager Steve Dietrich. Riorden made the team, which was a thrill, because in his teens he’d always looked forward to trips into Banditland to watch games.
Riorden's given name of Blaze was passed down from his Italian great grandfather. He wears No. 10 because it was the number he wore at Albany. He grew up with No. 7 but it was taken in Albany so he opted for No. 10. “I’ve grown into the number,” he said.
The experience in the Mohegan Sun Arena was uplifting.
“Throughout the whole game I was getting opportunities left and right. Coach [John] Tavares kept preaching, ‘Keep shooting, they’ll fall,’” Riorden said. “I found myself at the right spot on my second goal. They reviewed it, so I was a little nervous. But it counted and I was just happy to contribute.”
Riorden’s playing time increased after fellow lefty Ryan Benesch left the game with an injury, which will keep him out for at least 10 days. Riorden moved up to take Benesch’s top left position and defenseman Brad Self worked the lower spot closer to the crease where Riorden had been.
“It was next-man-up mentality then,” Riorden said. “Ryan is a great player. It’s unfortunate he got hurt and couldn’t finish the game, but Brad Self stepped up. I just had to do what I could to help out the offense.”
Riorden was not the only unexpected scorer in this win. De Snoo intercepted a pass and scored 25 seconds into overtime.
“They tried to swing the ball from the left side to the right,” De Snoo said. “I got my stick in the way, ended up with it, and took off. I just tried to get away from the player chasing me, look somewhere [approaching the net] and shoot somewhere else.”
It was De Snoo's first goal of the season. He scored one goal in his 2016 rookie season.
“I’m definitely not a goal scorer,” he said. “I’m a defensive player. I try to play a hard, tough game, play honest defense in trying to shut other teams down.”
De Snoo scored three goals in six summer league playoff games with the Oakville Rock last year, so he’s shown flashes of offensive brilliance.
“I know I have the potential to do that, so I’ll try to translate that to the NLL,” he said.
The 24-year-old native of Oshawa, Ontario might not be a big-time NLL scorer but he is one of the league’s big-time brains. The Drexel grad is pursuing a masters degree in medical-related research at the University of Toronto and has applied to the medical school there.
The key goals by Riorden and De Snoo saved the Bandits’ season. A loss would have dropped them to 1-6 and just about killed their chances of a playoff berth. Instead, they’re 2-5 and retain hopes of postseason play.
“We had a tough start,” De Snoo said. “We haven’t lived up to expectations, but Sunday was a big step forward for us. We played a full 60 minutes. That effort is what we need to bring consistently to have a chance to turn the season around.”
A home game against the Toronto Rock this Saturday “is another huge division matchup we have to have,” De Snoo said.
Can the Bandits rescue their season?
“You always have to think that,” Riorden said. “But right now, all we’re thinking about is Toronto on Saturday. We need to get a win for our Buffalo fans.”
Week 9
All times Eastern
Saturday
Toronto (5-2) at Buffalo (2-5) - 7:30 p.m.
The big difference here is on the back end: Toronto has allowed a league-low 61 goals and Buffalo a league-high 105. Nick Rose of the Rock leads all NLL goalies in goals against average and save percentage.
This will be the second of four meetings. The Rock won 18-10 at home Feb. 3. They will meet twice in April — on the 14th in Toronto and the schedule closer on the 29th in Buffalo. Toronto, a 10-6 winner last Saturday at Rochester, is 3-0 on the road. Buffalo is 1-3 at home.
Calgary (3-4) at Saskatchewan (5-2) - 8:30 p.m.
Saskatchewan has won five straight and Calgary has lost three straight. The Rush have been superior offensively with 97 goals to Calgary’s 79. Both teams have allowed 81 goals.
This will be the second of four meetings. Saskatchewan won 15-11 at Calgary on Feb. 4. They meet again March 24 in Saskatoon and close out their schedules April 29 in Calgary.
Last Saturday, Saskatchewan edged Colorado 8-7 at home, while Calgary fell 13-10 at home to Vancouver.
The Rush are 3-0 at home. Calgary is 2-0 on the road.
Rochester (2-6) at Vancouver (3-5) - 10 p.m.
Rochester‘s losing streak has stretched to four with losses last weekend of 10-6 at home against Toronto and 15-9 at Georgia. The Knighthawks are the lowest scoring team in the league and are last overall.
Vancouver is coming off a 13-10 win in Calgary and is looking better since Tye Belanger earned the No. 1 goaltending job.
This is the only meeting this season. On Feb. 13, 2016, the Knighthawks beat the Stealth 16-15 in Rochester. The last time they met on the West Coast, on April 18, 2015, Rochester won 13-9. Vancouver is 0-3 at home. Rochester is 1-3 on the road.
Sunday
Colorado (4-4) at New England (3-5) - 1 p.m.
Colorado is coming off an 8-7 loss in Saskatoon. With John Grant Jr., Jeremy Noble and Zack Greer all missing that one with injuries, the Mammoth needed goaltender Dillon Ward to be at his best and he was sensational. If he can repeat that performance, they have a shot at a win at Mohegan Sun Arena against a Black Wolves squad reeling from a 16-15 OT loss at home to Buffalo.
New England has outscored Colorado 94-83 but has allowed 19 more goals than Colorado. Credit Ward for that.
New England lost 11-10 in Denver on Jan. 14. They won’t meet again after this one.
The Black Wolves are 2-1 at home. Colorado is 2-2 on the road.
Bye: Georgia (7-1)