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This report is written in the afternoon of 28.12.2022 and reflects the situation at that time. Almost every team has now played about half of their regular season games so it is about the time to start with our mid-season report. We'll have some bold predictions, a little insight, stats, a bit of everything. But first of all, happy new years to everyone! So let's take a look at the regular season standings and what's going on there. Breaking things down group by group we’ll start off from group 1. Technical Disaster and Bad to the Bone are tied up for first place at the time of writing. Same amount of games, same record and also similarities in opponents played, both teams look solid and I think they're going to continue their streak and could be fighting for that number one spot at the end of the season. Also, it looks like Resurrection has found their game. They are in a great spot to fight for a good seed for the Playoffs. The first ever Xbox team xBOTS is looking solid too at fourth in their group and fighting for a higher Playoff seed. They have some defensive issues that they'll need to iron out, but should be able to get it done soon enough. Gunners HC have only played eight games thus far so there is more to come from this strong lineup in the upcoming weeks. Lions Academy (academy of ZCS eSports) also started the season well with five wins and only one loss in overtime so they might be one of the higher seeded teams at the end of the regular season. When looking at group 2 there is one team that has dominated and went under the radar before season started. Six Sticks Misfits is the real contender to go far in this Winter season. Their two goal scoring machines @Lamsa and @el_tacobag and some solid defence has shown what good players can do together. In second place in the group is Pirati Chomutov Esports, who is also one of the favorites to battle for that first seed in this group. Only one overtime loss so far and it was against another top team in Six Sticks Misfits. This Czech team is strong and they have a long campaign ahead of them if they can keep their form throughout the season. The long standing Finnish Hockey Legends are also on the right course to a good seed for the playoffs. On the flipside, Sawolanche hasn’t quite found their game yet and is surprisingly struggling this season. Group three is one where two teams rise above the rest. Hunters and EHC Kloten eSports seem to be battling for first place between the two of them, whereas the mid-table finishes are going to come down to the fight between three or four other squads. Both Hunters and Kloten are high-scoring teams that will be able to outmuscle their opponents offensively, and we still have their head-to-head battle to look forward to in the latter part of the season. Prestige is a team with only eight games thus far, and they're lagging a bit behind the others, so they could end up making a push for top seeds still. NOSTREETSPORTS have been a pleasant surprise, even sporting some Elite experience in the form of @selänne8 (BiggestEight) in their ranks. One of the letdowns in this group has definitely been Armada Hockey, who are struggling to slot into the playoffs at the moment and could eventually end up on the outside looking in. Group 4 has been the show for mistakes. Big Mistake have came and shown they are a really offensive powered team that also has the ability to defend well when under pressure. Young star @Allupekkaz has shown great potential for a couple seasons now and is finally showing that all his hard work comes into fruition. Also Södertälje SK have had a good start to their season and they have had good poise in their games. Timrå IK also had a great start to the campaign but let' see how far they can fly. Stone Age has been struggling and has suffered a little bit of fluctuating form, but they could find that calmness and draw from their experience to eventually reach a Playoff spot. STATS TOP 5 Forwards @Lamsa, Six Sticks Misfits , 14GP 25G 29A @el_tacobag, Six Sticks Misfits , 14GP 26G 24A @punt1la98, Hunters , 12GP 26G 19A @Adri1_SCP, Pirati Chomutov Esports , 10GP 18G 27A @kibenibe, Six Sticks Misfits , 14GP 15G 25A Defensemen @SelanneFIN, Six Sticks Misfits , 14GP 2G 17A @SirLateksi, Hunters , 12GP 2G 15A @Laama777, Hunters , 12GP 1G 16A @Da1m0n, EHC Kloten eSports , 12GP 0G 17A @kiwison, EHC Kloten eSports , 12GP 1G 16A Goalies @RaNtA, Six Sticks Misfits , 14GP 83,92SV% GAA 1.64 @Miettinen14, Hunters , 12GP 88,51SV% GAA 1.42 @jjamboj, BIG Mistake , 12GP 86,86SV% GAA 1.5 @Kussan82, Södertälje SK , 12GP 81.45SV% GAA 1.92 @Deathstrokeris, Pirati Chomutov Esports , 10GP 80SV% GAA 2.5

SportsGamers, The ECL '23 Winter Elite season returns from its Christmas break and with that, also the second week of action in the regular season is in the books. While some teams are quickly closing in on the halfway mark of their campaigns, JANO, who didn't start their journey until Thursday last week, will have some catching up to do. Among the teams we mentioned would have to really prove themselves in the past week were ZSC Esports and Falun Coal Miners. Now it's time to take a look at how those teams have fared in the past week, as well as look at some other trends that might have started appearing.  Since last time we checked in on the Elite division, the predicted contenders hREDS and Frölunda HC have started pulling the pack, as expected. The two title favorites even clashed this week, with points eventually being shared between the two of them. In both of those bouts, hREDS evidently put on more pressure and managed to gain an advantage in chances created and puck possession, but Frölunda were incredibly opportunistic and strongly benefitted from the scoring touch that Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen has managed to find for the red and green.  One of the more surprising outcomes of the early season is Roots Gaming and Unlucky Boys HC battling up there with the big boys in the standings. Both clubs underwent some offseason changes and were expected to at least have an adjustment period early on, but at this point, they are hanging in there with the best of them. Roots managed to sneak a point in their matchup against hREDS, whereas Unlucky Boys won one of their games in the matchup against Frölunda HC. The Unlucky Boys HC captain Antti @Anhel_Kuru Kuru, who dropped back to defense this season, has started very well, helping his team on the rush too with great production (2+12=14) early on.  ZSC Esports and Falun Coal Miners, who we were wishing to pick up their game a bit, haven't really shown what we know they can do yet. Both teams are seemingly struggling to keep the puck out of their own net, and Falun aren't helping their case by being one of the most penalized teams in the league on average. There's still plenty of time for both of these squads to turn things around, and we'll be rooting for them to find a way in the coming weeks! Another interesting phenomenon has been the lows that GOONS, Färjestad BK and Växjö Lakers have started their seasons on. All three teams are now past the first third of the season and are below a .500 record. While GOONS and FBK have been around for quite some time already in the Elite division, Växjö were expected to be the new kids on the block with the skill to challenge some of the better teams in the league. That has certainly not yet happened, and with their upcoming matchups being Nordic Stars and Unlucky Boys, now is a better time than ever for Växjö to pull theirselves together. GOONS, on the other hand, have been doing just that, as they seem to have rotated all of their deep roster in an attempt to find the constellation that ultimately will be able to get them wins. Top scorer Roope @pikkuroger Bergström will be entering military service in a week, so they'll need to find a way to click without him in the future.  The top plays of last week featured some Laitinen action in the Tunnel Vision vs Frölunda HC matchup, as Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen managed to steal the puck in the neutral zone, setting up an attacking chance for his team. Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen managed to find Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen open on the right flank for a clapper that hit the back of the net.    In another beautiful play this past week, JANO's Waltteri @Wpaanane Paananen threw some extra, extra sauce on the table when finding his teammate Eemil @Eeemill_ Törnvall for an easy tap in at the back post in their matchup against Färjestad BK. Standings - Week 1 1.  hREDS (-) 10-1-1 2.  Frölunda HC (+1) 9-2-1 3.  Unlucky Boys HC (+2) 7-3-2 4.  Roots Gaming (+6) 6-1-3 5.  ISO Esports (-1) 5-4-5 6.  JYP Jyvaskyla (+2) 7-3-0 7.  Tunnel Vision (-1) 6-0-2 8.  Nordic Stars (-6) 6-3-1 9.  ZSC Esports (-) 6-8-0 10.  Reality Check (-3) 5-3-2 11.  Färjestad BK (+1) 3-4-3 12.  GOONS (-1) 3-6-2 13.  Växjö Lakers (+1) 2-6-2 14.  Falun Coal Miners (-1) 2-6-2 15.  Luleå Hockey (+1) 2-3-1 16.  JANO (-1) 2-2-0 ECL '23 Winter Pro is on the table today with two great broadcast matchups! Tune in to watch IK Oskarshamn take on Bastu and Frölunda HC Academy take on Synergy Hockey. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG at 19:45CET as usual!