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An exciting ECL 12 Lite regular season is about to reach the midway point. It is an appropriate time to review the season so far with all it's phenomenon and highlights. (The report was written on Sunday, May 23rd and reflects the situation at that point) Group 1 The favorite teams of this group were definitely Royal HT and TuTo Esports have not been directly dominant but have played more or less as expected. Royal HT hasn't lost any games in regular time and is looking to continue on that hot streak. However, some teams could be expected to be higher on in the standings, such as TIKI TALK, Murohoki and Ducktales BK. These squads are all at the moment below the playoff line looking up. There are plenty of matches left and TIKI TALK have fewer games played than most teams at the moment so anything still can happen. TTK is leading the group at this point but with lower PPG than some of their rivals which indicates that teams like TuTo and Royal HT will pass them at some point. A notable feature in terms of performances is TIKI TALK - the team used to play in Elite back in the ECL 9 season but they've been sent in a downwards spiral in the past few seasons. There is quite a simple explanation to that  since although there are still quality players in TIKI TALK, they've seen major roster changes since the ECL 9 season and their prime. They've ended up in a vicious cycle of changing things and not having time to find chemistry, leading to poor performance and yet more changes. TIKI TALK is likely to improve but the question is will it happen in this season or in future seasons. There is a tight playoff battle between several teams in positions 6-10. One interesting match in that battle is Ducktales BK vs DEG esports scheduled on May 30th. There is likely to be a lot on the line on this game, keep your eyes peeled! Group 2 Södertälje SK has quite unexpectedly stuck below the playoff line and need to improve moving forward. Reality Check HC is high in the standings as they should and are battling for the top spots in the group and the entire division. IK Oskarsham is a minor surprise alike TTK in Group 1, but due to their quality acquisitions they have managed to improve drastically. On June 1st, Södertälje SK and EHC Biel Bienne Esports are scheduled to take on each other, which might be one of the crucial games in the fight for the last playoff spots. TuTo Esports vs TTK scheduled on Tue, May 25th is an important match for the race of the group title.   Group 3 FILADELPHIA Academy as new exciting team is on pace for playoff but as for their potential, they have definitely underachieved so far - could have performed better. Project X and UNI Gaming are currently leading the group, which might come to some as a bit of a surprise.  Wednesday, June 2nd features a big match between these teams that could most likely lead to be decisive in the race for the group title if both teams are performing at their current level as they are both seeing great play from their skaters and goaltenders. GIFU Hockey is another success story, who are looking to keep their streak of being unbeaten in regular time alive. Group 4 Tic Tac Toes and noRex Gaming are at the top positions in this group as expected - both have seen great play with few blunders to talk about. RoKi Esports and Barys Esports are also currently in playoff positions but you might have expected Barys Esports a bit higher than their current position 8 in the group - look for them to improve moving forward. One of the interesting games among others in the last rounds is Tic Tac Toes vs RoKi Esports on May 30th. In that match the group title could be on the line for Tic Tac Toes and also in for RoKi Esports the race for the final playoff spot could be in full swing.   Players to watch There are dozens of players who have already made impressive contributions to their teams and it's impossible for us to highlight everyone. Here are just few of those players:  Royal HT @keranee with 11 GP and 26+23=49 is the current leader in scoring across the league. Another Royal HT player in @Ikavalko has also managed to climb into the top 10. There are two IK Oskarsham and TTK players in the same top 10 - @Gson996 (16 GP, 22+27=49) and @norre1337 (16 GP 21+18=39) from IKO @Valtter1111 (18 GP, 21+17=38) and @Unrealhave (18 GP, 14+24=38) from TTK have all performed outstandingly and all of them have been massive reasons for their teams performing at the level they currently are. As for goalies, Reality Check HC goalie @Kauppias4 has maintained an impressive 90,16 for SV% and other stats  9 W, 1,2 GAA in 16 GP, which are telling of both the skill of the team in front of him and the level of his own play. UNI Gaming goalie @Vamoux boasts with stats 10W, 86,3 SV% and an 1,67 GAA that are just about equally as impressive. Project X goalie @Easygame20 (Torvelajr__) is the winningest goalie in the division so far, with 14 wins to his name. As for defenders, you should mention the likes of @Tumpp1A from Royal HT, who has a +36 in +/- stats and 4+13=17 in his 12 games played. The top scoring defenseman is currently @juusoskari from TTK with 15+15=30 in 18 games played and @Taunomaister1 from Project X trailing with 1+20=21 in 16 games played.   Some interesting upcoming matchups The original scheduled date in in brackets, please note that teams have the option of rescheduling. TuTo Esports vs TTK (Tue 25th May) Barys Esports vs Armada Hockey (Tue 25th May) Ducktales BK vs DEG Esports (Sun 30th May) Royal HT vs AiKnown (Tue 25th May) IK Oskarsham vs Reality Check HC (Sun 30th May) IK Oskarsham vs Afrodunk (Sun 6th June) Södertälje SK vs EHC Biel Bienne Esports (Tue 1st June) Project X vs UNI Gaming (Wed 2nd June) Tic Tac Toes vs RoKi Esports (Sun 30th May)  

The young and aspiring esports organization IQUE from Tampere, Finland is expanding to succeed among Europes virtual hockey Elite. ECL 11 Pro Winner Enigma signs with IQUE who are already competing in other titles like DOTA2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and PUBG. The talented and succesful roster around team captain Janne @Nieppii Niemelä will take the next step to professionalize and establish themselves in ECL Elite in a new and fresh colorway. Does black and green suit as well as black and red already did? The euphoria certainly is huge. Just before the start of ECL 12 Elite on Monday, IQUE is joining the World of CHEL. After being one of the top contenders in ECL Pro for the last few seasons, Enigma managed to pave their way to Europes Top 16. Since losing in the Finals of ECL 10 to superior Black Horse, Enigma bounced back in big fashion in the 11th version of the European Championship League. Finishing on Rank 3 in Group 2, the squad around captain trio Nieppii , Aleksanteri @sannteri Niemi and Tapani @Tappu Anttila beat Växjo Lakers, Tunnel Vision and finally GOONS in seven games to gain promotion. IQUE's roster looks stronger than ever. With a good mix of experienced horsemen and young talented players, the Finns are keen on establishing their team on the highest level of European 6v6 hockey. Captain Nieppii has a clear vision in his mind: "Our goals in this organization are to prove ourselves as a team who belongs in ECL Elite and are also able to succeed on the highest level. We have a good mix of veterans and young talented faces. We need to adjust our game style to play against the best of the best. Of course we are aiming to go to the playoffs – but first things first, we have to establish IQUE and stay in the league“. After adding former YMCA Esports and Butterfly Effect Goalie Rami @ramseyy2 (Ramsiil) Rissanen, who brings experience of 24 Elite games to the roster, the team is set to compete against the big guns. Defenseman Markus @Makeaxl Lahti will build the defensive core together with Nico @zNico Tuoreniemi. Center Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen completes IQUE's cadre and aims to continue his strong scoring streak from last season (29+26=55 in 24GP). We welcome IQUE to the NHL esports scene and wish them good luck in their starting ECL 12 Elite season!