I'm back today with my MXL division reflections and recaps. You may not have asked for my honest opinions, but you got 'em!
MXL
Most exciting game – Sarnia Energy Vs. Waterloo Wolves AND Brooklin Fingers Vs. Hespeler Hooligans
MXL has some very talented teams
this year and these two matches hosted the current top four teams in the MXL
division. Pre-season I didn’t know what to expect of the Rockstar camp’s teams
but I did expect Waterloo to be one of the top competitors in their division.
It was a surprise to me that this match was so close, especially considering
that Energy took 3 minor penalties to Waterloo’s 1. In fact, Sarnia was winning
until the last 8 minutes of the second half. Luckily for Wolves, they managed
to win two long points bringing the game to a 6-6 tie.
Wolves' Kevin Ahlin
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Energy's Ian Reid
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
It’s always exciting when two teams
from the same camp fight it out on the field. The match between Brooklin
Fingers and Hespeler Hooligans was no exception. Brooklin was forced to concede
the first two points of the game to Hespeler but came back strong taking the
next 3 points. Hooligans then brought the game to a tie by winning the next
point but conceded the last point of the first half to Fingers leaving
Hooligans trailing by 1. After half, Hooligans gave up two more points to
Fingers leaving themselves 3 points behind. They came back to take the next
point and then, taking advantage of Brooklin’s two minor penalties, pulled off
3 more flag hangs finishing off with a 7-6 win over their Raiders Camp
counterparts.
Hooligans' Eddie Ralf
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Most surprising game – Oshawa Fury Vs. Woodstock Semper Fi
I am a little disappointed in
Woodstock Semper Fi’s showing at event 1. Having been the relegated team from
the CXBL last year, I expected them to be at the very least middle of the pack
in the MXL division this season. To their credit, two of the teams they played at
event 1 are some of the strongest in MXL this year. This match however led to a
very surprising outcome. I certainly expected Semper Fi to come out a few
points on top of Oshawa Fury. Perhaps
their loss has something to do with the 4 minor penalties they racked up
throughout this match. Either way, I truly hope that this team can come back
from the depths. It would be terrible to see them relegated again this year
especially because they certainly have some talented players on their roster
and I really don’t believe they belong at the bottom of the totem pole.
Strongest team thus far – Hespeler Hooligans
If you had a chance to read my
predictions, you already know that I picked Hespeler Hooligans to be at the top
of the MXL bracket. The fact that they came out of event 1 undefeated was no
surprise to me. These guys have a dedicated roster of players with a mix of
former CXBL players and hardworking MXL players. They push hard in practices
and they play smart paintball, taking few penalties. If these guys continue to
play as hard as they did at event 1, they WILL remain the strongest team.
Hooligans' Brian Robertson
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Weakest tam thus far – Winnipeg 420 Army
No one really knew what to expect
of this team. Largely because of their
unfamiliarity, many predicted that 420 Army would be unsuccessful. However,
some also suggested that because Winnipeg has seasoned former Aftershock
player, Darcy Schlichenmayer on the roster that they would be a strong
team. Schlichenmayer also has a NAX title with Edmonton Prevail. The fact that
420 Army had such a rough go at event 1 supports my idea that one great player
cannot make a team. It doesn’t help that Schlichenmayer took a whopping 11
minutes in penalties over the course of this event with his teammates racking
up another 40 minutes in penalties! That’s right this team took 51 minutes in
penalty time in just one event, granted that time wasn’t all served but
honestly 51 minutes?! These guys need to learn how to play a clean game or I
fear they will spend every match keeping the box warm.
Photo Credit: The Catshack Reports
Team to watch out for at event 2 – Barrie Ntwo Freeze
The Ntwo teams have a lot of drive
and they put hard work into their practices. Their determination is enough to
convince me that they will be the ones to step up their skill by next event. They
beat Fury by 2 points even though they had two major penalties throughout that
match. I am sure that the point spread on that match would be much greater had
they not suffered those penalties. My verdict – If Ntwo continues practicing
hard and stays out of the box, they will be moving up the ranks in their
division.
Signing off,
The Paintball Wife
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