UAlbany Welcomes Back PLL, Five Former Great Danes

ALBANY, N.Y. – The sport of lacrosse has always been big in Albany, but this weekend it gets even bigger. The University at Albany is excited and proud to host the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) in what will be the largest weekend in the league’s history, all starting tonight. Six games are on the schedule between the best lacrosse players in the world, five of which are former Great Danes.

Lyle Thompson (Cannons LC), JD Colarusso (Atlas LC), Connor Fields (Archers LC), and Blaze Riorden and Troy Reh (Chaos LC) will be back on UAlbany’s campus as the PLL takes over Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium. All five left irreplaceable marks on the UAlbany lacrosse program during their tenure as Great Danes, and, starting tonight, they get to come back to the place they called home during their collegiate careers. 

Though these five stellar individuals come from different places, play different positions, and play for different teams, they will always share two distinct commonalities for the rest of their lives – they are Great Danes, and they played at UAlbany under legendary coach Scott Marr.

Lyle Thompson is known simply as the greatest player in UAlbany history. As the only player to ever win back-to-back Tewaaraton Awards as the most outstanding player in college lacrosse, it isn’t a stretch to label him as the greatest player in college history either. He finished his UAlbany career with 175 goals and 225 assists for an NCAA record 400 points. He makes his return to the Capital Region in his first year with the Cannons LC after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2021 PLL Entry Draft this past March. 

In year one, Thompson sits atop the PLL leaderboard in goals (20) and shares a three-way tie for first place in points (29). With this weekend being the final before the start of the playoffs, Thompson has a chance to secure the regular season goals title and sole possession of the points title in front of his Albany friends and family, while also trying to secure his team a spot in the playoffs. His Cannons LC takes on the Chrome LC on Saturday night in a matchup featuring a ‘win or go home’ scenario for the two teams jockeying for the final PLL playoff spot.

With playoffs on the mind, nobody can be more excited than JD Colarusso, with his Atlas LC sitting atop the standings heading into the final weekend at his alma mater. The Atlas faceoff against the second-place Waterdogs LC on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. in a game that will decide the regular season champions. 

Colarusso took the starting goalkeeper reins for UAlbany at the start of the 2017 season and immediately capitalized on the opportunity. The Great Danes finished 15-3 that year en route to reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals. The team followed it up with an even better season in 2018, where they finished 16-3 and became the nation’s No. 1 ranked team for the first time in school history.

But before JD Calarusso took over as the starting netminder for the Great Danes, there was the legendary Blaze Riorden. Riorden came to UAlbany for the 2013 season, starting every single game in net during his four-year tenure. As a result, he remains the all-time NCAA Division I leader in minutes played and ranks ninth all-time in total saves. His stardom didn’t stop there, however, as he is continuing to make waves in the pros. He is the two-time reigning PLL Goalie of the Year and currently sits atop the statistical leaderboard in save percentage at 61%. 

Riorden isn’t the lone Great Dane on the Chaos LC sideline however. He gets the privilege of playing with one of his former teammates, and friends, Troy Reh. “Troy and I have a great relationship,” Riorden added. “He wore number 10 when I left, so we have that juju. I'm hard on him but I believe he's playing his best lacrosse right now and it couldn't be better timing with playoffs around the corner.”

Reh played for UAlbany from 2015-18, anchoring some of the greatest defenses in the school’s history. He was named an America East All-Conference First Team selection for three straight years, finishing with 30+ ground balls in each of those seasons.  As a member of the Chaos, he and teammate Jack Rowlett lead the team with 10 caused turnovers each – good for 10th in the PLL. 

When asked about the success of his teammate Blaze, and his former UAlbany teammates, Reh added “I’m so happy for all of them. I think Blaze is the best goalie in the league, and I would put him in the conversation for MVP… I think he is one of the top five players in the world.”

The Chaos are gearing up to play twice this weekend, first against the Archers LC and the second against the Redwoods LC. The matchup between the Chaos and the Archers is particularly exciting for Great Dane nation, as Riorden and Reh will play against former UAlbany standout Connor Fields in front of the Albany crowd.

A three-time Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, Fields graduated from UAlbany as the second all-time leading scorer in Division I history with 364 points (199 goals). He won consecutive America East Offensive Player of the Year awards during his time and was selected 10th overall in the 2018 National Lacrosse League Draft. His Archers are also scheduled to play two games this weekend, one against the Chaos and the latter against the Whipsnakes LC. 

Fields said “I’m so excited to be back in Albany. I have always thought that Albany has the best fans in all of lacrosse and I can’t wait to play in that stadium in front of them again.”

Action kicks off today with the Redwoods taking on the Whipsnakes at 6:00 p.m and the Archers battling the Chaos at 8:30 p.m. Tomorrow’s games feature the Atlas and the Waterdogs (4:15 p.m) and the Cannons and the Chrome (7:00 p.m.). The three-day event wraps up on Sunday with the Chaos taking on the Redwoods (2:00 p.m.) and the Archers playing the Whipsnakes (4:45 p.m.)

Tickets for the event are still on sale and can be purchased by visiting premierlacrosseleague.com.