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Our regional leagues are an excellent platform for new talents to showcase themselves and that is exactly what Otukset eSports did during their past FCL campaign, which ended in the Quarterfinals at the hands of eventual champion FILADELPHIA. Otukset eSports is a slightly more unknown team for many, although the team has a wealth of experience in various competitive tournaments. Most of their players have already participated in previous ECL tournaments, but team captain Matias @theMaddias Kilpinen notes that only recently, a more goal-oriented approach to playing has started: "As players, the number of players became acquainted with ECL10 when NEO was played in different gangs. The project started because the goal was to play in the same gang before, now the timing was right. From then on, we played together from time to time, and now, at the end of ECL12, a gang was pulled together." Individual skill is perhaps not the strength of the team, but instead the fact that every player knows their role and play an equally important part in the game. "The strengths of our team are largely in the passing game as well as in defence, skill-wise, the team is very even, i.e. everyone is able to do a little bit of everything and adapt to different situations. We've got high ambitions, which means that at the moment we've got our sights set on an eventual promotion to Elite." "Although our FCL squad didn't consist of big profile players, each of the individuals had held important roles in their previous teams. I think that we were seen as underdogs simply because people hadn't heard of us before and we harnessed that as a strength." The team's captain notes that participating in the FCL was a foregone conclusion and the team's biggest goal in the tournament was to go as far as possible. To everyone's great surprise, the team managed to progress all the way to the playoffs, where they managed to beat skilled groups such as IQUE and RCTIC along the way. "In the IQUE series we started to win every game and got an OT win right from the first game, which was very important for the series. We simply stuck to the process without any special attempts to adapt to the opponent's style of play." In the quarterfinals, FILADELPHIA, who eventually progressed to become Finnish champion, was an insurmountable obstacle for the team. "Against FILADELPHIA, we wanted to continue in the same way, but the skill and experience of the opponent just ended up being too much for us to handle at that moment." A successful FCL tournament gave the young team a lot of confidence for the future. When asked about the team's next goals, participation in the Pro Qualifiers through a wildcard spot is what the team has their sights set on. "FCL provided a lot of confidence for the future and we also decided to stick with the same lineup going further, sadly losing the handsome Dane Mikkel @Birkedal96 Birkedal. Under the new ECL qualifier rules we'll be able to qualify for Pro through a wildcard spot, which we are very excited about, we're diving into action head first and of course are aiming to just win." Success stories like this are always exciting to see and it'll be interesting to follow the journey of Otukset also in the future. They will start their ECL 13 campaign through qualifiers to determine in which division they'll end up, so make sure to keep an eye on this ambitious group when the puck drops!

Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä is a 28-year old stone builder hailing from Lahti, Finland, but he is also one of the most prolific goaltenders in the NHL Gaming scene and has represented KalPa in the first ever season of eLiiga, the virtual Finnish hockey league. When not hard at work or in front of the screen, Serttilä plays rink bandy and is actively involved in the football hobby of his godson. Originally, Serttilä spent some time as a skater before the final call was made to head between the goalposts. He says that becoming a goalkeeper was the sum of many coincidences, as he was still playing as a forward back in ECL 10. Now his teammates describe him as a very conscientious player that takes care of duties as agreed and is on time for practice. He's an easy going guy and a fun person to talk to.  "At the time, I really enjoyed playing as a goalie whenever my own team didn't have games, and spent evenings netminding in various squads. It sparked the idea that a change of position could be possible. The final decision to make the move happened at the end of ECL 10, when we made some offensive changes and I felt that the chemistry just didn't click." "I myself have a huge desire to develop as a player and I like facing tough challenges, so in the end the decision to join the Checkmate/SAWO ESPORTS team was easy. The captains of the team at that time, the Nikkinen brothers (@TackleControl and @Juizki) decided to take a gamble on me, for which I can extend a heartfelt thank you to them", Serttilä continues. Serttilä has played both the 1v1 and 6v6 formats of the game, but he finds playing without AI in the equation much more enjoyable. "6v6 is definitely more meaningful due to the fact that there are no AI-driven players on the ice. One of the best things about 6v6 is that there are more opportunities for creativity and surprising outcomes to situations. However, the biggest and most important factor is team spirit and chemistry in things that happen on the ice." "On the contrary, the 1v1 mode is much more schematic and especially more one-sided. It is difficult to say directly what is the best side of it, but in principle you are always the one responsible for the end result, so there's that", says Serttilä. Just like your childhood idols and traditional hockey players, several gamers like to stick to certain routines before heading to the virtual ice for a big game. Some are more set on these than others, and we asked Mehukatti about his tendencies. "I don't really have any big routines, but there are definitely a few small things I do to get ready. One thing I'm particularly set on is having two cups of coffee before the games. When playing 1v1, I always listen to music in order to get in the perfect flow and state of relaxation. Perhaps my most interesting routine would be a trigger check I do when the games intro animations are playing. It's as interesting as going through R3, L3, L1, R1, R2 and L2. Originally, I used it to test, especially for older controllers, that nothing is stuck and it's become a habit over time."  What about all those hours spent around the game? Those countless tight games and long night spent with the boys must surely have made for some fun memories along the way? "There are plenty of good game memories, but perhaps the best is the first eLiiga in history at the end of last year, which I was perhaps a little unexpectedly able to participate in. The first LAN games and, on top of that, getting to the finals weekend was an amazing experience. For that, a big thank you goes to teammate Roni @MrNipsuli Kaján. When thinking about individual games, I'd pick the bronze game from the eLiiga, which I eventually lost against Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola. We played a full 60 minutes of all out coast-to-coast hockey and have laughed about it several times later." As usual for our guests, we asked about Serttilä's dream lineup, excluding any of his current teammates. Center: Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala - The most important piece of the team is the center, so we'll start with that. Patzlaf is an easy choice. A very complete player and big leader, also on weekends Right wing: Erik @Eki Tammenpää - A gentleman who has won everything and experienced, from whom many could learn how a true professional carries himself on and off the ice. Left wing: Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen - A truly versatile and intelligent, puck-moving player. Right defenseman: Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen - Has an exceptional ability to carry a rush by himself and is a tremendous help on offense, but never sacrifices his defensive responsibilities despite that. Left defenseman: Viljo @viba2008 Kähkönen - It's been a pleasure to watch a former teammate develop into a top defenseman at such a young age and only the sky is the limit for this guy. Goaltender: Casper @ICappeI Lundgren - A real showman and an ignition switch for his team. The stats and merit are such that you can't really hope for more from a goalkeeper. Cappe was also one of the first so-called big names to allow me to train regularly with Elite level players when I switched from fielder to goalkeeper. I'm really grateful for that. What if you could switch places with one of your teammates, who would you choose? Mehukatti would trade places with teammate Juho @RutonMosse Kinnunen (Juigelson). "If I could switch places with someone, it would be our own Jupi who would have to give way to me, we'd be able to start games/training on time for once." How about the future - where does Saku Serttilä see himself in say, five years time? "That's a very good question. Hopefully, by then I might have started a family of my own and I'm possibly still involved the NHLGamer community, at least in some way."