Let the 2013 CXBL Central Season Commence!

At long last, the 2013 CXBL Central season is upon us! As CXBL and Flag Raiders Staff busily prepare for the coming event, players pack their gear bags, and fans pray for sun, I need to take the opportunity to offer my most gracious thanks to those of you who have stuck by the blog over the last year! Writing Outside the Mesh would be meaningless if it weren’t for my faithful readers! When I began writing prior to the 2012 season, I did not know what to expect. I figured I would be hit with criticism (and a few times, I was) but I never expected the overwhelming support from the majority of the Canadian paintball community.

 To all of the players who enthusiastically worked with me to create player profiles and complete interviews, you have my sincerest thanks! You guys are the number 1 reason that Outside the Mesh has been a success and it was an absolute pleasure to work with each and every one of you! To the readers who came back time after time to check out my latest posts, you all deserve about a billion and twenty gold stars! To date, Outside the Mesh has received over 14, 000 views. That may seem like small beans to you big time bloggers out there, but to me, that’s something to sing about! Oh - don’t worry, my rapping career was short-lived. Anyway, enough about me! Let’s shift our focus to the coming event!

The 2013 paintball season brings with it many changes including the addition of the RT5 division, bridging the gap between CX4 and RXL, and the Elite season beginning at Border Battle.  It will certainly be different with no Elite matches at event 1 but don’t worry; the amount of post-CXBL talent rostered on MXL teams will surely be cause for some excitement. Judging by rosters alone, here are my predictions for what will go down in the MXL division at Central Event 1. 

Brooklin Mafia VS. Sarnia Sabres – This should be an exciting match. Brooklin is essentially a mash up of last year’s Brooklin Fingers, a couple of 2012 Cambridge Raiders, a few veteran players like Chris Hoy and Ryan Chantler, and some up-and-coming Niagara Aces killers. I expect big things from them this season. That being said, Sabres is home to much of last season’s Scarborough Hustle line up and while they finished the 2012 season at the bottom of the heap, MXL is likely a much more suitable division for their talents. I’m going to give this match to Mafia, but I won’t be surprised if it’s only by a point or two. 

Oshawa Fury VS. St. Catherines Savages – Word on the street is that Fury folded due to struggles filling their roster. I guess that means this match equals a bye for Savages. 

Huntsville Predators VS. Hespeler Hooligans – Predators is another interesting smorgasbord of talent with their combination of a handful of last season’s Waterloo wolves, a few guys coming back rested from retirement, and such CXBL talent as the Herda brothers and Ryan Dowling. This team is designed to win with their grand amount of experience spread throughout the line-up. Hooligans is an entirely new roster with the exception of the one Brock Browett, and thus this match will be a struggle for them. I suspect Predators will take a vicious bite out of Hooligans early confidence with a big win. 

Mississauga Hate VS. Sarnia Sabres – Hate was a hot team in RXL, coming out with the 2012 NAX win and they’ve added some past CXBL athletes (Jeff Coons, Grayden Guy, and Brandon Armstrong) but I don’t think their added experience is significant enough to challenge the passionate, tight-knit community of paintballers that is Sabres. I suspect Sarnia will take a close win here. 

Georgina Grizzlies VS. Huntsville Predators – I haven’t heard much about Grizzlies and without having seen them play it’s difficult to judge their talent. That being said, Predators strong roster will help them to a comfortable win. 

Milton Mutiny VS. Oshawa Fury – Again, with Fury out, Mutiny is smiling. 

Brooklin Mafia VS. Mississauga Hate – Hate may have been a constant contender against the 2012 Niagara Aces RXL roster but even with their added talent, they won’t be able to keep up with the vast array of passion and experience that makes up the Mafia crew. I wouldn’t be surprised to see old rivalries ignite in this match, bringing a few penalties into the mix. Mafia will take the win here. 

Georgina Grizzlies VS. St. Catherines Savages – This will essentially be Savages first match of the event with Fury’s apparent drop out. Rumour has it that this is a team filled with up-and-coming talent aided by the coaching abilities of experienced player Tyler Fare. They will take the win over Grizzlies who will still be stumbling to find their footing after their loss to Predators. 

Huntsville Predators VS. St. Catherines Savages – Predators may be feeling a little over-confident at this point in the event and Savages will be pushing hard to prove themselves. This match will be closer than expected but Predators will still come out on top. 

Georgina Grizzlies VS. Oshawa Fury – Fury is no more, Grizzlies with a Bye. 

Mississauga Hate VS. Hespeler Hooligans – My suspicions are that these will be the middle of the pack teams this season. However, Hate has much more experience and likely the confidence to match. Hate will take this match but they will still have to work for it. 

Brooklin Mafia VS. Milton Mutiny – Mafia’s experience will bring them a shining win over Mutiny’s mix of past Rockstar MXL players. I’m guessing we will see the largest point spread of the event during this very match. 

Georgina Grizzlies VS. Sarnia Sabres – Sabres are going to push hard this match and it will be one of their best wins of the season. They will use this match to build up their +/- before facing more challenging competitors. 

Mississauga Hate VS. St. Catherines Savages – This will be the closest match up of the event and thus will be a great game to watch. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this match end in a tie but something tells me Hate will squeak through with a wee win. 

Brooklin Mafia VS. Hespeler Hooligans – These two teams come from the same camp but this will not be a repeat of past Fingers-Hooligans match-ups. This year’s Hooligans squad is lacking the depth needed to compete with the Mafia family. Brooklin will take this one by a handful. 

Milton Mutiny VS. Sarnia Sabres – Sabres will have another tidy win here as Mutiny sinks into a teeny bit of penalty trouble.

      As for the RXL, RT5, and CX4 teams, I won’t make predictions until I’ve seen you play. It’s tough to judge when there are so many new faces on rosters and I simply couldn’t make accurate calls as a result. I do wish ALL teams the best of luck at Central Event 1. Just remember wins and losses are just that-wins and losses. You can’t change them after the fact so make sure you enjoy the journey. 

       

      I look forward to watching you all bring your best to the beginning of a fresh season! Be sure to stop and say hello, grab a sticker or two to represent Outside the Mesh, and share with me what you’d like to see on the blog this season! After all, Outside the Mesh exists for all of you! 

Thanks again for the support! 

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife

P.S. Comments with your thoughts are always welcome!