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SportsGamers, As the month of June is rolling on and the sun is slowly starting to find even us up North, the time has come to start with the Semifinals of the Pro division already! We're down to the top four teams in the division, and to be fair any one of these contenders could end up taking the title. At this point, the games will be decided by the smallest of margins, so keep your eyes peeled throughout the round not to miss a second of the action! Luleå Hockey (1) vs Polski Boys (5) This could be an interesting battle between the former ECL Twitter meme princes and the new annoying little brothers, who want to play with the big boys now! While Luleå Hockey (the former POGGERS) have cleaned up their social media game, it seems like their farm team Masin Maansiirto eSports had their account hijacked by some Polish farmers. Polski Boys obviously didn't let this slide and called the big squad out to play, but it seems like we'll have to wait until the action gets going tonight to watch any of it unfold. In terms of what will happen on the ice, Luleå Hockey definitely are the more well versed team that can pose a threat from a variety of situations in comparison to Polski Boys, who have been a bit of a one-trick pony this season. @Migo_boo and @vote_10 respectively will be the guys carrying the puck and being responsible for the breakouts, and @JaKurrii & @xSaski_ will be at the other end, potting pucks in from the back post. As stated, Luleå's offense will consist more of a cycle game when given the opportunity, while Polski poys have been exploiting @punt1la98's cross-crease force to Saski all season long with evidently tremendous success. Luleå Hockey also like to throw pucks at the net more, evident by the 15 deflections for JaKurrii thus far in the Playoffs. These two teams have never played each other in a competitive setting before, so it'll definitely be an exciting series to watch and the first games should set the tones for what's to come in the rest of the series. The experience and chemistry Luleå has built over years of playing together shouldn't be understated in a situation like this, but on the other hand, this team has a history of fluctuating in form - let's hope it doesn't happen in this one! Luleå Hockey and Polski Boys will be starting action tonight at 20:00 CEST - http://twitch.tv/YleTV_Polski Prediction: Luleå Hockey in 6. Deadly Phantoms (2) vs Golden Nights (4) The Deadly Phantoms have really caught fire these Playoffs and look highly intent to keep on going. The German outfit was called out by @ripKeisari last week for a weak social media game and they've since upped their banter, highlighting an impressive snippet of ECL Pro Playoffs info - Ever since ECL 7, the Phantoms have always made the Finals if they've gotten past the first round in the Playoffs. Were not entirely sure that'll mean anything in this series, but nice to know nevertheless! What is actually very interesting to me is the fact that the Phantoms have been able to advance to the Semifinals while playing rotating nine players in their roster in the Playoffs - take that, everyone whose opposed to playing their backups. @gzell60, @xXPsykoSkillsXx and @ProfaneKiss have been locks in the starting six, while everyone else has been in rotation for one reason or another. Regardless of who they end up putting on the ice, the Phantoms with their four forward formation will be a tough team to crack for Golden Nights. While the Golden Nights have been considerably more quiet than their annoying little brother Polski Boys on social media, they found a way to fire back at Deadly Phantoms right off the bat. None of their current players have ever been on the losing side in a Playoff series against the Phantoms, which should make for an interesting story in this one, as their left defenseman @Mikka has never won a game in the ECL Pro Semifinals despite being a top player in the division on highly rated teams for years already. This season, the kid reigns supreme as an offensive defenseman and his squad is looking as strong as ever, but can they break that curse? We're expecting Golden Nights to come out of the gates as the team looking to control the pace of the game, sticking with possession against the Germans. @Sagee95 will be the main man responsible for slowing down the counter attack spearheaded by @ProfaneKiss and his boys. In net, the statistical advantage goes to @RPH_31 and the Phantoms, but both goalies have been outstanding throughout the season and aren't known for letting soft ones slip through, so you can expect this one to go down to the wire as a battle of two different playstyles. Prediction: DPH in 7.

SportsGamers, Our ECL Elite Player Awards vote is making a return and all of you will have the opportunity to impact who will receive the individual awards at the end of the season. We have six categories in total with five nominees in each category. Based on community feedback, this season all nominees have been selected through a vote within the Elite division captains.  Voting will open effective immediately and we're asking you to cast your votes by Thursday, June 15th at 23:59 CEST. The awards will be presented in the ECL '23 Spring Finals broadcasts on Saturday, June 17th. Make sure to cast your vote in order to support your favorite player! Cast your votes here! List of nominees in each category: Forward of The Season The Top Forward award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their forward position. Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen (Tunnel Vision) Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala (Frölunda HC) Erik @Eki Tammenpää (Frölunda HC) Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen (Tunnel Vision) Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (hREDS) Defender of The Season The Top Defender award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their defenseman position. Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen (Tunnel Vision) Veeti @Wenger Paloneva (Tunnel Vision) Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha (Frölunda HC) Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen (Mayhems) Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen (hREDS) Goalie of The Season The Top Goalie award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their goaltender position. Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen (Tunnel Vision) Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen (Frölunda HC) Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen (Mayhems) Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen (Leksands IF) Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen (hREDS) Rookie of The Season The Rookie Of The Season award is awarded to a player in their rookie ECL Elite season, who has excelled above the competition regardless of position. Robert @Robban kaudern Kaudern (Leksands IF) Teemu @temppanen Karvonen (Mayhems) Timi @Kkarkass Kärkäs (Mayhems) Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen (Leksands IF) Jami @N44TTI_16 Ruuskanen (Mayhems) Transfer of The Season The Transfer Of The Season award is awarded to a player who after a transfer is deemed to have been the most impactful player for their new team. Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen (Mayhems) Adam @dzouvi Mensik (Färjestad BK) Bajram @Katunarski Xhafa (Leksands IF) Benjamin @benu Rinnet (Nordic Stars) Miikka @xColeslaww Kolehmainen (Reality Check HC) Returning Player of The Season The Returning Player Of The Season award is awarded to a player that after one or more seasons away from ECL Elite competition, makes an impactful comeback to the highest level. Aleksi @ADETIKKI Kinnunen (Tohtorit) Jere @jxrska Laukka (GOONS) Ville @Viltzup Poutiainen (Mayhems) Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen (hREDS) Teemu @ITemeI Laukkanen (hREDS)

SportsGamers, In mid-May we hosted the 2023 eHockey Finnish Championship Finals in a Sunny Tampere together with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. The weather was perfect all weekend long and participants got to enjoy gaming in a very special environment at Keskustori right in the city center. The IIHF World Championships generated lots of attraction and the entire city was having an ice hockey carnival. At the end of the weekend, we had crowned two new Champions in the form of Teemu @temppanen Karvonen (1v1) and NHL 19 Allstars (6v6). Check out all of the action in the aftermovie below!

SportsGamers, Yesterday marked the end of Round 1 in the Lite division Playoffs and the action was interesting to say the least! Two big favorites in Dark Wild and Technical disaster are out as the result of massive upsets and we've got plenty of exciting action coming up in Round 2, starting already today. In this Round 2 preview we'll be taking a look at a few interesting series that we expect could end up being quite close, and highlight a lot of interesting statistical anomalies and facts from the first round of Playoff action, join us for the ride! To see all of the RO16 series, head over to the League page! Mustaa Kultaa  (2) vs Golden Sticks  (25) Based on their offensive production, it's tough to discount Mustaa Kultaa from the Championship fight, but the highly talented team didn't quite pop off as dominantly as expected in Round 1 against RoKi Esports. A 4-0 sweep tells the tale of a one-sided series, but in reality, RoKi were in the fight for many of those wins and ultimately struggled with too many individual errors that cost them the series. Mustaa Kultaa will have to gradually rev up their engines again against Golden Sticks, who are coming off a full seven game thriller against Techical Disaster. This squad, consisting of mostly Russian and Latvian players is one to keep an eye on, but they'll certainly need a big effort from either @Romanych13 or @Fuflogon81 in net in order to have a chance. Prediction: Mustaa Kultaa in 5.  Supernatural  (5) vs Sodertalje SK  (18) Supernatural are sporting some of the biggest names in the division and were expected to be true contenders for those top spots - thus far they've definitely delivered, but they could be in for a tough fight against Sodertalje SK in this one. Both clubs have lots of experience, but the more skilled side should be Supernatural in this one - they haven't spent all that much time together which could end up showing in a tight scoring battle against the very disciplined Sodertalje. Keep an eye on @HambergD (David_ovic), who likes to lay the body and is the most physical player left in the competition. He'll pose a forechecking threat to supernatural defensemen @Vilisopanen15 (Ruandalaine) and @Black1Eagle1, who are no strangers to moving the puck.  Prediction: Supernatural in 7.  PunaKala  (6) vs Frolunda HC Academy  (17) PunaKala have been one of those sneaky good teams for some time already. They might be suffering a bit from their reputation as a lower tier club, but have made some impressive development over the course of their career and are now ready to challenge as real contenders in this division. Captain @Mttjs (JMattjus) plays any position his team needs him on and leads the squad from the front. Expect @Unknownlehtis and @sir_sniper to take care of most of the production. Frölunda HC Academy even made a Pro appearance but struggled to find their footing at the higher level. Despite some roster turnover, they are a capable team that could take down any competition in this division. @antonlule (Antonlund_08) is a new talent and has been highly effective for Frölunda this season.  Prediction: Frölunda HC Academy in 7.  Editors' picks from Round 1: Major upsets by both HC Lugano eSports and Golden Sticks, who took down #4 seed Dark Wild and #8 seed Technical Disaster respectively. Hc Replay with a valiant effort against Sunne IK Esport in the first round, their great special teams play continued, but Sunne IK's excellent discipline only allowed one powerplay opportunity in seven games.  Armada Hockey with the choke of the season thus far - the team dropped a 3-0 series lead to Nurnberg IceTigers eSport and are now out after a devastating game 7 OT loss. @Chara 33 (Bugimir68) was in a class of his own throughout the first round with 10+10=20 for Predators. They're up against a defensively sound Nappula in the second round. @sonny - We see you! Four wins and a 90.12 SV% posted in the first round earns an honorable mention for the Boost HC goaltender. Equally impressive goalie heroics by @Samilandia for Ultimatum with 3 shutouts in 6 games.