OPL Round #4: Ontario Paintball League

The fourth OPL event of 2017 will be one that players will remember for a long time. The Tuesday before the event the league posted a press release stating that the event venue had to be changed from Niagara Paintball Park to Flag Raiders Paintball due to unforeseen circumstances.  Following the press release, the OPL released a letter to the players recognizing the inconvenience that teams may experience as a result of the venue change. They also said that they were "exploring options to assist with players and teams who have been affected". The teams that I spoke to about the assistance they received from the OPL seemed happy with the result. Even with short notice, Flag Raiders did a great job of hosting a total of 56 teams over the 2 day tournament. 

New replay technology was added to the Behind the Bunker Broadcast, courtesy of Defcon Paintball and a few others who donated for the new technology. To see live game footage from the event, click the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/Ontariopaintballleague/?ref=br_tf

D3......The Rampage power house line of Zak Carless, David Tandory, Travis Brake, Conner Vella and Andre Gravelle had a 'bounce back' performance. After having an uncharacteristic 5th place finish at event 3, they won event 4 with a 4-2 win in the finals over Northern Loyalty.  We've seen consistent progression from Loyalty, as they moved up from D4 to D3 since last season. Loyalty has already finished in the top three twice this year, and their event 4 second place finish was their best result yet. Attrition took a tough loss in the semi-finals, losing by a swing point major in the final seconds. Never the less, congrats on the D3 podium finishes Attrition, Loyalty, and Rampage. 

D4........With the help of coach Rusty Glaze Mississauga Hate had a stellar event, adding another first place to their resume. Hate is filled with lots of young and upcoming talent. A lot of their players competed in the NXL Chicago event the weekend before the OPL, so it was a smooth transition for them to apply what they learnt about the layout in Chicago. Stratford Storm looked strong as well, loosing by just one point in the finals match. 

D5..........Hustlers go 'back-to-back' with a first place finish at Event 3 & 4. Ham Hawks, who finished 2nd, made it to the podium for the second time this year (since their first place finish at Event 2). Corruption, who finished 3rd, finished in the top three for the fourth time in a row. It seems like these three teams are in a constant battle for 1st place. Only four weeks until we see which one of these teams will win the final event, or if an underdog will rise. 

OPL Beginner Division......The Rough Assassins land their first win, after placing 2nd at Event 3 and 3rd at Event 2. Congratulations to the Rough Assassins, Hype (2nd place) and the Hustlers (3rd place) on their great playing all weekend long. 

The venue for the final event is TBA, so the players, teams, and coaches must be eager to find out where the final battle of the season will be held. Best of luck to all teams at Event 5.  

OPL Event 4 Standings Below: 

Division 3 X-ball
1. Niagara Rampage 

2. Northern Loyalty
3. Attrition

Division 4 X-ball
1. Mississauga Hate
2. Stratford Storm
3. Northern Momentum

Division 5 X-ball
1. Hustlers
2. Ham Hawks
3. Corruption

Beginner 5-Man
1. Rough Assassins
2. Hype
3. Hustlers