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SportsGamers, As we told you, this weekend was truly a celebration of hockey in all forms. It was also the end to a great ECL '22 Spring season and simultaneously our first ever two-part ECL season. We're proud to be able to make history in such great company and with that, we're crowning hREDS the ECL '22 Spring Champions and the ECL '22 Grand Champions! After two very strong seasons that we thought were dominant by the predators, they came back yet a level stronger and absolutely dismantled all opposition this season with excellent performances throughout. Goaltender Filip @Faze91- Azri continued on his crazy run claiming his third title in as many campaigns with hREDS, and only his fifth competitive ECL season! We caught up with the towering defenseman Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen in the midst of the celebrations: You made history earlier this spring but still continue to succeed and become even better. What drives you to be even better every time you take the ice? It's the fact that we've got six great guys put together. We're constantly getting to know each other even better, growing chemistry and coming up with new tricks. We've got a very wide variety of plays and for example in this Finals series we had to dig very deep and pull some stuff out of the archives. How was it for you playing in this environment and what challenges did it bring? It was awesome and the atmosphere was great. All around I think the experience was good. No bigger challenges I think despite the weather. I mean, you need to practice so you can perform regardless of the circumstances.  The Finals series was surprisingly tight and very entertaining. What were some of the feelings you went through during the series and what did the team discuss in between games? It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. First of all, we lost three games in a Playoff series which is something we simply don't do. Quite frankly we're not used to losing, so we were kind of rattled even. That's something we went over and tried to get over just being down about it and found new ways to win and play our own game. The decisive goal was something different though, we've celebrated hard before but that goal felt so much better than the ones before. What made SAWO ESPORTS such a great opponent in this series? I think the weakness was ourselves here. We didn't reach our best level at times and whenever SAWO scored the first goal, their defense was stellar.  hREDS is now cemented in ECL history as one of the greatest teams to compete in the league. What's next on your radar? It's a difficult announcement to make, but we're actually turning a new page as our captain @Beniittto is leaving for the army so we'll be forced to find a replacement for him. It'll definitely be a learning process and it gives us the chance to even find some new stuff and some exciting additions to our game. Obviously he's such a hard player to replace, but we'll take our time to scout the market for a suitable guy. I don't want to give an inside scoop yet, you'll find out on social media. Finally, how will the win be celebrated? We're going to party like never before. The clock is almost midnight at the time of this interview so we'll have to find a place soon, but it's a fact that no one has ever done anything like this before and we'll celebrate accordingly. hREDS' road to the championship: #1 seed with the record 26-2-2 Quarterfinals: vs Conquer Gaming (8) 4-0 Semifinals: vs GOONS (5) 4-1 Finals: vs SAWO ESPORTS (3) 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #91 Filip @Faze91- Azri DEFENSEMEN #27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen #94 Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) (A) FORWARDS #23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (A) #89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (C) If you happened to miss the broadcast, you can rewatch the action from Saturday here. Thanks for tuning in and congrats to the champions!

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! Right in time we are back with yet another Player Spotlight! The first week in the 8th season of the German Championship League is on its way - so it's the perfect time to take a closer look at Reto "eTschitsch" (@afc_Tschitsch) Ulrich. Goalie of the reigning GCL champion ZSC Esports from Switzerland!   1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I started playing in NHL09 with Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni. We started playing 2v2 where all remaining positions were played by the AI. After a few years I stopped playing until Claudio contacted me in 2018 again. They were in need of a Goalie for the former "The Black Jacks". That's when I started grinding again.   2. What do you value most in playing for ZSC Esports? It makes me extremely proud to be part of this team and represent one of the biggest clubs in the country. Furthermore ZSC is my childhood club. So it's even more special to me.   3. Describe your perfect day! Sleeping until 11am. Have a good workout in the gym and spending the rest of the day in Zürich, enjoying the sun and having good dinner.   4. You are GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team. Who is in your perfect ECL lineup and GCL lineup (only DACH-players)? ECL Lineup: LW: @NikkeDangles C : @Eki RW: @FlyerKungen         LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_)                         G: @uhNikke   GCL Lineup: LW: @IDangledYouOut C : @PlaymakerSJ RW: @Freeman7187                              LD: @Toneee9 RD: @Haldeem                                          G: @PLA77NER     5. Do you play hockey in real life? I played 14 years for ZSC Lions Youth teams. When I was 18 years old I had to end my career due to an injury.   6. What's your best hockey memory? There are several moments I like to remember. I was able to play with great players who paved their way to the NHL. Such as Kevin Fiala, Jonas Siegenthaler, Denis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto and many more. But apart from that my biggest highlight was winning the Swiss Youth Championship back in 2012 and finishing as the top scorer of the league.   7. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I love doing sports and having a good time with my friends. Spending time with my family is really important to me as well as travelling as much as possible.   8. Pizza with Pineapples. Yes or No? NO!   9. What song do you listen to while playing an intense match in ECL? Currently my favourite tune is "Good Vibe" by R.I.O. & Kyanu.   10. What's the background story to your PSN ID? As a kid I fell in love with the Croatia kit at the World Cup 1998. My father bought me one and due to the fact that most of Croatias players name ended on "-cic" he told me that 'Cic" has to be my new name. A few friends started calling me that nickname and so it started its course until it eventually became "Tschitsch" instead of "Cic".   11. Who is the best player in the ECL? This is a really tough question to answer. There are many great players and talents out there. But if I had to choose one I would pick @Eki. He is almost always able to make a difference and give his team the edge over the opponents.   12. What's your favourite dish? As a Swiss there can be only one answer: cheese fondue.   13. What are your goals for this GCL and next ECL in NHL23? For this GCL I will take the role as a backup goalie to have Mike @burban26 Müller and Christian  @Fightlocke3 Schubert's back. But our only goal for this season has to be to defend the title. In the next ECL I would love to participate in the playoffs. In the past seasons we improved steadily and making the playoffs has to be the next step.   14. High scoring game or OT drama? Since I'm a Goalie I will obviously take the OT drama. And personally I feel like I perform best when being under pressure.   15. What are your NHL career highlights so far? My biggest highlight has to be winning the GCL7 title in the finals against Team LEISURE (now Deadly Phantoms again). After falling short in four finals it was a big relief to finally beat them. On top of that we were able to secure the title with three sweeps in a row and personally securing five shutouts in the postseason felt really good! The ECL 7 Lite title was also really special to me aswell as making it to the top of the ECL and playing there now for the 4th consecutive season.   16. Who should be featured next in "Player Spotlight"? In the next spotlight I would love to see my Swiss fellowman Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi!     Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series. Also, if there are any questions you'd like us to add to the arsenal, let us know!