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SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! This time, we decided to head on a Central-European trip, and that's why we're venturing into the promised land of cheese, chocolate and quality watchmaking to get to know Lausanne HC captain Mirco @Tron1x90 Salvi, the country I'm referring to is Switzerland of course. The Italian Citizen has grown up in the city of Biel/Bienne and now calls it his home, and he's grown to love the local hockey club, who have played at the Swiss top level since 2008. 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I've played EASHL since the beginning on Xbox 360, I think it was in 2008 with NHL09. I started to play with one of my best friends @JuuMzz just for fun, we started by creating a club, but sometimes we played in the same lobby and selected the goalie on both sides, it was really fun. Then we played for five years with three other friends, but when the next generation consoles were released, some of our friends stopped playing. After winning a 1vs1 tournament in Zurich in 2018, an old friend @Freeman7187 asked me if I wanted to play with them, and that’s how my journey at SportsGamer started. The club was called The Black Jacks back then, but they're now known as ZSC Esports. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Lausanne HC Esports? I've had a lot of support from the fans since the club of Lausanne HC started with this project in 2020. I also think covid helped with it to some extent, since the Swiss leagues were shut down, so the fans had more time to follow the esports games and they were maybe also in need of hockey, regardless if that was virtual or the traditional form. Sadly we won't be continuing our partnership alongside Lausanne HC after this season. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? In 1vs1 for sure my two Swiss national titles from 2021 vs @Original-SnuS and 2022 which I’ve won with Lausanne HC and also reaching the round of 16 of the IIHF fan tournament with Italy in 2020. In 6vs6 the win of ECL 7 Lite with The Black Jacks even if I didn't play a lot but a title is still a title. Personally, my most successful season was in ECL 11 with Grenoble when we lost the Bronze game but still managed to gain promotion to Pro. It was also a very good personal season as I ended in the top 5 of the highest scoring defensemen, both in the regular season (5th) and in the playoffs (2nd). Then in ECL 12 we managed to reach the playoffs for our first season in Pro with the new renamed team Spartiates x MCES after a very bad first half of season. I think I was the only one who was still believing for a spot in the playoffs. That was amazing because we could reach the spot on the last gameday. We then had a very tight and intense series against the team that would later be promoted, BoxinElite, where we pushed on to a huge game 7 and finally lost in OT. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! A capuccino, fresh pressed orange juice and a French croissant. 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? I will change a bit and not chose the top players in the ECL, but I think this lineup could be the best with only Swiss players, like a national team: @Romy88 @Original-SnuS @Freeman7187 @Haldeem "Joker" @afc_Tschitsch 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a kid, I always dreamed to become a professional football player. But I soon realized it wasn't possible because of my weak skills. I now work for the authorities, more specifically in tax collection. 7.  Do you play or have you played hockey? No, my skating skills are too bad. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? In 2008 when my hometown hockey team, EHC Biel/Bienne, was promoted to the Swiss elite division. The following two seasons, the team finished last in the ranking and had to play the promotion/relegation series against Lausanne HC, they could always save themselves and win the series in a close game 7, that is something I will never forget. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I like to watch some football, hockey and NBA games, chilling out with friends and travel with my girlfriend. I also like to spend some time with family or friends at restaurant or having a beer. I watch series or play less competitive video games to unwind. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Nice question for an Italian guy! Tomato, raw ham and mozzarella cheese. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Europe - The Final Countdown 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My name is Mirco, but some friends call me Komir, and I was born in 1990, so that’s how I chose that PSN ID. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? Who else than @Eki? We don't even have to describe him anymore! And as a D-man @xDoumi, the way he has improved in the last years is amazing. I use him as a reference to improve my gameplay. If we compare our stats, we have a bit of a similar playing style, we use to have a lot of puck possession and a lot of assists instead of goals, we like to play as a playmaker from behind and find the right key passes. Of course, this comparison is made on a smaller scale given the skill difference! 14. Describe your ideal holiday! I haven't traveled much, but I've had the chance to discover beautiful places in Mexico, Florida, Greece and Italy. For me my ideal holidays are on the beach with a lot of sun, beautiful clear water and we also have to eat very well. So I think my best place was Sardinia at the moment, I can only recommend it. 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? The daddy cool @Hansulinho. I used to play against him in 1vs1 online versus in 2008-2009 and we were already competing for the top spots in the ranking. I was then surprised he was still playing on SG when I arrived on this website back in 2018. Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series - let us know in the comments below!

If parity was the name of the game in the regular season, it surely seemed to be the case in the first round as well. Four game sevens and two six game series, only the group winners were able to fend off their competition without lengthy nights. Who's going through now? Let's take a look. Schedule Preview (1) Reality Check vs Sulkavan Sudet (14) Due to time constraints this preview couldn't be finished before these teams already settled the score: Reality Check advances with a clean 4-0 sweep. Reality Check hasn't lost a single game in these playoffs so far, sweeping both opponents. (2) Växjö Lakers vs Herlev Eagles (12) Växjö Lakers had a fairly dominant regular season, especially offensively. That seemed to continue right away in postseason play with a 9-3 win to open off the series against Geekz Energy eSports, but they were instantly brought back to earth with a 1-4 loss in game two. After having a day off and some time to regroup, they went on to win the following three games to clinch the series, though the margins were a lot smaller with two 1-0 games and a 4-3 overtime win. Herlev Eagles played in the same group as Växjö, and were also considered among its top teams ahead of the regular season. The start to their campaign wasn't an easy one, and they had to go down to the wire to clinch a postseason spot only on the last gameday. That wasn't in any way apparent when watching their first round series against Tohtorit though: the Eagles won the first three games in a row to gain a chance to complete the sweep. In the end they needed a few extra games to get it done, finally finishing it up in game six after what proved to be a controversial end to the series with some disconnect drama. As both teams played in Group 2, we (and the teams, obviously) already have some data on how they match up against each other. While Växjö won both games that time, 3-1 and 6-3, it was one of the first meetings of the season. A month has already passed since then, so there's definitely been time for improvements. Without in any way undermining their defense or especially the exceptional goaltenders, both of these teams live through their forwards. The trios of @vibholm10 - @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) - @keranee and @Kattenj - @dzouvi - @Birkedal96 of Herlev and Växjö, respectively, will be going head to head with chips on their shoulders. The material advantage goes to the latter, though in contrast Herlev's roster has been together for some time now. That accumulated chemistry could really help them when trying to shut down Växjö's offensive prowess. These teams possess a lot of skill, and the series will be decided by who can use it the best and who, in turn, is able to make their opponents' life a nightmare. While the seed difference may be quite substantial, Herlev Eagles aren't as big of an underdog as it would suggest. Växjö Lakers is still the clear favorite here though, let's not get that mixed up. Watch out for an upset, but don't hold up your hopes for it too high. Prediction: @Mikka: Växjö Lakers 4-2 @jahajaha93: Växjö Lakers 4-1 (3) HanaaHC vs Renascor (11) Written by @jahajaha93 HanaaHC came out swinging in the first round of playoffs both on and off the ice, stirring the pot a bit just in time for their first games against VISU Gaming to start. The3 long-time Pro dwellers went into the series with good spirits and high confidence, until VISU Gaming struck back in ways very characteristic to their game. Despite the setbacks, Hanaa stayed in control throughout the series and we saw them even dominate possession at times, but VISU kept themselves in the game, always posing a threat with their effective counter attacking and well executed passing plays. Now, HanaaHC is up against a new kind of challenge, one they seem to have fended off quite well as they are in a commanding 3-1 series lead after the first night of gaming. The Russian outfit Renascor is a bit of a surprise to be seen at this stage of the playoffs, but they've really grown over the course of the season and overcoming the very talented Sinister squad in the first round is a commendable effort by them. The team has really rallied around the excellent play of goalie @sumskoy26 (SumkaX) and is looking to continue on that path to beat HanaaHC too. Some similarities can be found in Hanaa and their previous opponent, mainly the high level of individual skill and tendency to hold on to the puck rather than shoot at times, but HanaaHC definitely has the experience card up their sleeve. The series currently stands at 3-1 in favor of HanaaHC. (9) RCTIC vs AHJO (10) Due to the amount of first round upsets, the fourth best seed remaining is *9th*! RCTIC finished 6th in Group 1 in the regular season and followed that up by nearly sweeping Be a Bro in the last round. The clean sweep didn't end up happening after their 3-0 series lead got reduced to 3-2, but they still got the job done in the end in six games. On the other hand AHJO didn't have as easy of a time, trailing 1-2 and 2-3 against Hokurit before extending the series to seven and clutching it home. RCTIC had some troubles at the star of the season, but they seem to have found their footing recently. While @Limbe65 carried a heavy scoring load in the regular season, fellow forwards @yrjoo and @Naikou88 have stepped up to match the production come playoff time. @MrNipsuli hasn't found the points yet, but defensive performances have been stellar as expected. An interesting note from the first round, MrNipsuli-'s unorthodox build: a 178cm tall puck moving defenseman is definitely shorter than what we typically see at this level. As noted, AHJO didn't exactly cruise through from the last round. They even resorted to some lineup shuffling after the first night of play, swapping @xHatsi to center and @Eeemill_ to right-winger for the last four games. Perhaps that's what eventually helped them over the hump, but we'll see if the positions get reshuffled yet again if they start off cold. The "Icy Boyz" reached the semifinals with this exact same 9th seed last season, and it seems likely to reoccur now as well. However, AHJO can definitely mount a challenge and even end up on top, as long as they keep on improving with their relatively fresh lineup having added @Wpaanane at the transfer deadline. This series could go any way without it being a huge surprise, and it will come down to who's done their homework better and can perform when it matters the most. For now RCTIC takes the edge on paper with their experience, though we also have to remember that AHJO (then named Dynastia) took number one seeded Reality Check all the way to a game seven in their series at this same stage last season, only revamping their left side of the ice since then. Just to reiterate one last time, this should be the tightest series in this round. Does experience prevail, or will a honeymoon phase power a slight upset? Let's go with the bold prediction for a change. Prediction: @Mikka: 2-4 AHJO @jahajaha93: 4-3 RCTIC This round is a bit longer than usual, but we'll have our final four clear soon enough. Good luck and have fun everyone, whether it's playing or cheering on your favorites! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter