The
much-anticipated Border Battle at Commando Paintball was well worth the wait.
This was an extremely exciting event in all divisions with many surprises and
some astounding upsets. Players and fans alike were thrilled with the exciting
matches and the great sponsor prizes that were handed out during the always
delightful pod tosses. A special thanks to all of the sponsors, Commando
Paintball and the amazing BuyPBL and CXBL staff that made this event a hit!
Sunday's Pod Toss
Sunday's Pod Toss
CX4 player Klayton Morris collecting his GoPro Hero II camera from Eric Mayeu, GoPro representative
CXBL Elite
Most exciting game to watch – Medonte Ntwo Factor Vs.
Tremblant Cowboys
Few predicted the
correct outcome for this match. Everyone who I spoke to thought that without a
doubt Tremblant’s pros would easily manage a win over Medonte’s former MXL
players. I, however, had a gut feeling that Medonte was ready for a big win and
I must admit that I was absolutely thrilled to see these guys step up and prove
their strength during this match! While this event had many exciting matches,
this one was not only exciting but also the biggest upset of the season so far.
I am sure that
the spectators and Cowboys alike were shocked to see Ntwo swoop in and take the
first point of the game. Tremblant quickly came back to take the following
point leaving the score at a 1-1 tie with 19 minutes remaining in the half. It
was amazing to watch Medonte throughout this half; they began most points with
3 or 4 players alive in their bunkers and played smart paintball, making key
bumps which allowed them the upper hand. So much so that Cowboys were forced to
towel the next 5 points leaving Medonte at a 6-1 lead with less than 2 minutes
left in the half. At this point in the match, Medonte’s Alex Lyness let his
emotions get the best of him, shooting at the mesh toward the Cowboys’ pits,
earning himself a match misconduct. Lyness was suspended from play and the
committee is to review his misconduct this week to determine the extent of his
suspension. Shortly after Lyness’ major penalty, Medonte took a
minor penalty which allowed Tremblant to take the final two points of the first
half leaving the match at a 6-3 lead for Medonte. Continuing to make the most
of Ntwo’s penalty, Tremblant took the first point of the second half and used
their momentum to take another two points bringing the match to an exciting 6-6
tie with less than ten minutes remaining. Medonte wasn’t willing to roll over
and allow the bigger names to take their hard earned game. They came back
strong forcing Cowboys to towel 3 more points. This meant that Tremblant would
need to take 4 points in just over 2 minutes to manage a win over Medonte. Ntwo
did not allow this to happen. They played an aggressive point with Medonte’s
Tom Guest running the flag in with only 1 second to spare; A beautiful ending
to an astounding match. Ntwo, I raise my glass to you on a well-earned win! I
am sure victory has never tasted so sweet!
Medonte Ntwo Factor
Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski
Most surprising game – Mirabel Impact Vs. Scarborough Hustle
While, admittedly
I picked Hustle for the win here, it wasn’t Mirabel’s success that surprised me
but rather the point spread at the end of this match. Theoretically, this
should have been two well-matched teams competing and one would expect a tight
game with a small point spread. This match started off as one would expect -
with the two teams going back and forth with point wins and minor penalties
leaving the score at 3-2 for Impact with six minutes remaining in the first
half. However, the six minute mark
proved to be the tipping point as Hustle took two minor penalties in close
succession forcing them to towel two points to Impact ending the first half
with Scarborough trailing by 3. Hustle went on to towel the first four points
of the second half with Keith Choi taking a major penalty. Thanks to their
aggressive and sometimes unpredictable style of play, Impact went on to win yet
another point leaving them with a 10 – 2 lead with less than 9 minutes
remaining in the second half. In a long 5 minute point, Hustle’s Brett Robinson
took a 5 minute major but the team still pulled through forcing Impact to towel
the point. The match sat at 10-3 Impact with 4 minutes remaining on the clock
and this is precisely where they would finish as neither team took another
point. As I said, it wasn’t Impact’s win that was surprising as I think most
would agree that these two teams should have been well matched. Instead, it was
the fact that Impact won by a whopping 7 points that made this match such a
surprise.
Impact's Marc-Andre Caron and Sebastien Dubois
Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski
Most Impressive team at this event – Windsor Lockdown
Lockdown’s former
Rage players are easily some of Ontario’s best. They are strong, smart
paintballers who know when to play conservatively and when to be more
aggressive. Sure, they have a lot of egos and many of them are known for taking
penalties due to their aggressive nature but overall, these guys live and
breathe this sport and they know what it takes to win. For several years, they
have been highly competitive in Canadian paintball making them the team to
beat. That being said, even the strongest in Ontario felt the need to bring in
some help from the states and prior to this event, they added a line of Damage
players. In some ways, this brought even more strength to their team and they
confidently rolled through Drummondville Daytona, Scarborough Hustle, and despite
a slow start, Mirabel Impact with some significant point spreads.
While they
certainly proved a force to be reckoned with in the above matches, in my
opinion, their American help became more of a hindrance in their match against
Cowboys. It is an absolute shame to see Ontario’s best warming the bench
(so-to-speak) rather than running in points as they should. If I remember
correctly, the former Rage players took the field for about 3 points throughout
Lockdown’s match against Tremblant and I am sure you will agree that this match
was not typical “Rage ball”. In fact, I would argue that had the Canadian
talent had more opportunities on the field, playing their typical smart yet
more aggressive style, this match may have ended differently. Lockdown is an
impressive team but they were already impressive without their Damage players.
I suspect that without the added help, they could have gone 4 and 0 this event.
I am certain few would disagree that the event 1 Lockdown line up could have
certainly accomplished the wins against Daytona, Hustle, and Impact. I am also
confidant that had they played their typical style of paintball, they would
have enjoyed a close win over Cowboys also. As I said, it was terrible to see
some of Canada’s best holding down the pits rather than fighting it out on the
field. I hope to see some good ole’ Rage ball again at Elite Event 3.
Windsor Lockdown
Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski
Weakest team – Scarborough Hustle
Honestly, I wish
that I could be writing about a different team. After Hustle’s struggles at
Elite event 1, I sincerely thought that they would take what they learned and
come back stronger than everyone expected at Border Battle. Undoubtedly, Hustle
played some incredibly challenging teams this event including: Tremblant
Cowboys, Windsor Lockdown, and Kitchener Recon. As a result, they suffered some
significant losses at this event including a 14 point spread against Cowboys
and an 18 point spread against Lockdown. Hustle certainly has some good players
but they lack the depth required to compete in this highly competitive
division. The team’s plus/minus is sitting at -72 which certainly puts them in
the lowest seating and will likely leave them fighting against relegation. Next
event, they face Medonte (who certainly proved their strength at Border
Battle), and Rockstar. The Rockstar match may be their only hope of a win this
season. In fact, this will be THE match to see who will be relegated – Hustle
or Rockstar.
Hustle's Brett Robinson
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
Team to watch out for at event 3 AND team to most surpass
expectations- Medonte Ntwo Factor
I am certain that
no one will disagree that Medonte proved their strength and determination at
Border Battle. Coming up at Elite event 3, Medonte faces Scarborough Hustle and
Windsor Lockdown. I have no doubts that this team can manage a significant win
over Hustle and their win over Cowboys suggests that with continued hard work
and few to no penalties, they have what it takes to beat Lockdown as well. This
team has been highly under-rated this season and they will continue to allow
their passion and determination to colour their matches with success.
Medonte Team Chat
Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski
Other reflections:
I am not sure
about you, but I love to see a good solid penalty call now and then. Like any
competitive sport, we can expect to see some cheating and some aggression out
on the field and it can be oh-so-satisfying to see the red and yellow flags fly
for penalties (especially when it happens to be your competition spending time
in the box)! Out of mere curiosity, I’ve done some research to find out just
how much time teams are spending in the box. Here are the teams listed from
most penalty minutes to fewest thus far in the season. Some interesting stats
if you ask me!
1.
Scarborough Hustle
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 54
2.
Medonte Ntwo Factor
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 48
3.
Windsor Lockdown
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 46
4. Drummondville Daytona
Matches Played: 5
Penalty Minutes: 39
5.
Toronto Rockstar
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 37
6.
Mirabel Impact
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 32
7.
Kitchener Recon
Matches Played: 5
Penalty Minutes: 25
8.
Cambridge Raiders
Matches Played: 6
Penalty Minutes: 25
9.
Vancouver Thunder
Matches Played: 4
Penalty Minutes: 22
10.
Tremblant Cowboys
Matches Played: 4
Penalty Minutes: 2
Well, that’s all for today folks!
Signing off,
The Paintball Wife
P.S. Just in case you were wondering, out of the 13 CXBL Elite matches, I predicted the correct outcome for 10 of them including the little expected Medonte win over Cowboys. Not bad if I do say so myself!
4 comments:
The Rockstar Vs Raiders Game was also a good game to watch, Rockstar proved their skills out there!
4 games with 1 penalty.... highly doubtful. I wonder who sponsors those guys?
Huge crowd looking at the sky together. It's seems to be a wonderful rainbow picture over there.
Paintball Tank Covers
Yo should also have noted that the rebels are losing close matches while leading the league in penalties. Look at the sarnia game.., they won points with 2-3 guys in the box...Tell em to stay out of the box and all of a sudden they coud be 4-1.
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