From the Shadows... Of Maine.

Boston Bloodline lead by Anthony Vitale and Nate Clark's Shadowkillers lead by Richie Byrnes squared off in a private practice at Maynard last weekend in preparation for NEXL Event 3.  The teams played 2 matches which SK emerged victorious from both winning 5-2 in the first match and 4-3 in the second.  Each point was a hard fought battle by both teams and seemed to always come down intense two on two and one on one clutch points.

SK, who have struggled the last 2 NEXL events going 2-1 and 1-2 in the prelims, showed up with a diesel roster with such names as Josh Rutland, Nick Cloutier, Anthony Puiia, Thomas Carrier, and Tobin Vanbuskirk, but the player who really stood out was Tyler Guay, who left a path of destruction on the dorito side constantly shooting out snake players and snake corners with insane cross-field shots.  Another thing that changed about their game was their ability to execute overwhelming gun dominance and aggressive dorito side play, which has been inconsistent since the first 2 events.  SK looked like an entirely different team on Sunday and any team in the NEXL should pray not to draw them in the prelims, or in the playoffs for that matter.

This is not to discredit Bloodline however, who despite playing the new layout for the first time and missing a few key players still put up a glorious fight.  That said, both teams fought an intense battle that raged all day, neither one ready to admit defeat.  The pits were quite intense for a practice, but thats to be expected since these players have a history playing together in the Somerville Crisis program over the past 2 years, and have utmost respect for one another.  These two teams will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in the NEXL and are fueled by the raw young (and good looking) talent that will lead New England to victories all across the country some day.

Shadowkillers definitely brought the fire from the caves of Maine, and Bloodline looked strong as always.  It should be very interesting to see these two teams compete at the next NEXL/NEPL event July 17-18th.