Joel Griffith - NLL.com Staff Writer

While wandering the halls of Burnaby Mountain Secondary School, Calgary Roughnecks forward Riley Loewen knew he had a decision to make.

Loewen, 27, grew up playing lacrosse, hockey, and soccer in Burnaby B.C., but the time came for him to decide which road he wanted to venture down.

“I was always good at all three sports, but I just felt I could go further in lacrosse,” explained Loewen.

When he was 19, Loewen’s feelings were confirmed as he received a scholarship to play lacrosse for Limestone College in South Carolina. While at Limestone, Loewen completed a double major in management and finance.

Like most Canadian kids growing up, Loewen dreamed about playing in the NHL. But the further he progressed in his lacrosse career, that began at four years old, the more he realized his love for the sport.

“It’s amazing to go out every weekend, fly to a different place, see all the guys, and to get paid for something I’d do for free. “To play professionally is definitely one of the greatest experiences ever.”

In addition to playing lacrosse, Loewen doubles as a project coordinator for Trotter & Morton near his current hometown of Port Moody, B.C.

To be able to play professional lacrosse and also maintain a demanding full-time job takes a lot of hard work and commitment, something his father Al Loewen said his son always had in him.

Going all the way back to his childhood and up till this very day, Loewen Sr. said his son is dedicated to being the best he can be.

“Even to this day after work he goes right to the gym,” said Loewen Sr. “He knows how lucky he is, and he takes it seriously.”

When Loewen Sr. and his wife Lori discovered their son had received a scholarship to play lacrosse, they originally thought it was a great opportunity for him to get a good education and start building a career.

It wasn’t until he was almost done his tenure at Limestone that Loewen informed his parents where his head was at.

“He never really told us until later on of his desire to play in the NLL,” said Loewen Sr. “We supported him all the way.”

With Loewen Sr. and his wife still residing in Burnaby and their son’s NLL homes being Edmonton, Saskatchewan and now Calgary, they’re unable to watch him play as much as they’d like.

Up until their son’s trade to Calgary from Saskatchewan in late 2016, the only time they watched him play live was when the Roughnecks visited the Vancouver Stealth. Now that he’s in Calgary, they’ve been able to attend a few more games.

“We definitely feel proud that our son is a professional athlete,” expressed Loewen Sr.

Loewen’s parents aren’t the only ones appreciating what he does on the lacrosse field as Roughnecks head coach Curt Malawsky said he’s brought a whole new element to the club.

Malawsky said Loewen’s style of play has opened up a plenty of scoring lanes for their offensive juggernauts, something that’s hard to find.

“You can classify him as the prototypical power-forward in the NLL,” described Malawsky. “He does all the dirty work.”

In the locker room, Malawsky said Loewen is relatively quiet, but is very well liked by all his teammates. Instead of his words, he lets hard-working and responsible play do the talking.

“He’s not the flashiest guy, but you know he’s going to work his tail off night in and night out,” explained Malawsky.

“The big thing is the guy next to him knows what’s he’s going to get, and that’s 100 per cent effort.”