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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!

SportsGamer and the Finnish Ice Hockey Association have launched an all new extensive partnership during the spring of 2022. The first fruition of the partnership will be seen already at the end of June, when the Finnish eNational Team is going for the triple gold in the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championships. The new partnership combines the vast knowledge and experience of the Ice Hockey Association with the similar attributes that SportsGamer have been able to achieve in the world of esports. Especially the passionate and dedicated community built around the EA Sports NHL-series played a big part and is an excellent building block. "We thought that now would be a great time to enter the quickly growing esports world. The IIHF are taking their first big steps on the virtual hockey front this year, and we want to be right there among the pioneers developing the product both domestically and internationally. SportsGamer were the perfect partner for us due to their expertise and market leadership. We're confident about building and growing this partnership in the future and are very happy about bringing SportsGamer on board", says Lassi Rönkkönen, sales and marketing director for the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.  "Our partnership with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association will develop our operations at the grass roots level in Finland, but also help build a better path for players aiming for professionalism. There's a long road still ahead, but we're building a great foundation for future success", Kenneth Lehtinen, COO at SportsGamer. A clear objective for the partnership is creating opportunities at the grass roots level, but also for players at the brink of professionalism. Together with the Ice Hockey Association, SportsGamer also aims to generate a clearer path to represent the National Team and reach the international top. Finland is currently leading the development of this fast growing sport, and the objective is to stay ahead in the future.  Also the recent European NHLGWC Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää chimed in: "From a players standpoint I think this sounds great. SportsGamer has for a long time hosted top tier tournaments and leagues, and I think the Ice Hockey Association will continue elevating that level. More tournaments, leagues and players are always welcome!" As mentioned, the first fruition of the partnership can be seen in the form of the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championships and the qualifiers, but already in July we'll be able to release more details about more upcoming events. You'll be able to see the SportsGamer team in action this weekend at Narinkkatori in Helsinki, where it's time for a true hockey fiesta. This weekend's event combines the St Hockey Tour opening tournament, the ECL '22 Spring Elite Finals and the Wilhelm eHockey Tour Finals, so make sure to show up and cheer your favorite team to victory!