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16 became eight. Eight has become four. Four is about to become two. Ahead of the ECL ’24: Winter – Elite Semifinals, SportsGamer Guest Writer Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt goes in-depth with each of the Final Four teams in their Quest for the Cup… A DIFFERENT TEAM It is said that you never read the same book twice. At face value, it is an inane statement. “Surely, I have read my favorite book more than one time, and you can’t tell me I haven’t.” That’s not the point, though. The point is that each and every time you read a book, you are inherently a different person. The things you experience in life – good and bad – continuously shape you into something different from what you once were. Maybe not from one day to another, but certainly from one year to another. And so, the Lord of the Rings you read when you were 12 years old is not the same Lord of the Rings you read 20 years later. You are a vastly different person, connecting with different themes in the text, making it a different reading experience. For all intents and purposes: a different book. The hREDS of 2024 is not the same hREDS that nipped at the heels of FILA in ECL Elite for several tournaments before dethroning them. Nor is it the same hREDS that reigned supreme in Elite in for what felt like – and probably was – literal years, before finally being forced to bow down. The players are mostly the same, the game style is similar to what it always has been. But the players that make up the team are inherently different. The things they’ve experienced in the ECL – euphoria as well as heartbreak – have shaped them into something different. For all intents and purposes: a different team. So, what is hREDS in 2024? Leave it to left defenseman Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen to explain things. “hREDS in 2024 is a hungry team”, the former ECL Defender of the Year-recipient says. “Our goal every season is to win the title. When we don’t, we consider the season a disappointment. It’s been a while since we won our last title though, so now… we want to win as much as possible. There is a hunger there.” “I don't see any reason why we can't win the championship this season”, Ruuhinen adds. “We are playing really well at the moment.” Indeed, they are. hREDS won 23 out of 30 games in the regular season yet finished fourth in the standings – a testament to the quality of play in the Elite division. But also a testament to the fact that hREDS went through some changes in the off-season. Forward Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen missed two thirds of the regular season due to his commitment to the Finnish military service and two-time champion center Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen, formerly of Tunnel Vision, was brought in to play at a position fairly new to him: right wing. At the same time, hREDS brought in a new goaltender in Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes. “‘Mozja’ was a really big help for the team when we needed a replacement for ‘Nikke’”, says Ruuhinen. “I remember how he stepped up to secure a couple of regular season games for us this season with his goals. He played well the whole season. The team didn’t always play up to its capabilities, but that wasn’t on him.” “At the same time, you can’t overstate how important ‘Nikke’ is to hREDS. He is a long-term member of the team and in my opinion the most skilled and mechanically gifted player in Europe.” With his military service now over, Tukiainen has returned to man the RW spot for the team. As for goaltending, Ruuhinen says the team has been more than happy with Remes “’Sere’ has played really well, we have no criticisms there. He currently has the second-highest save percentage in the playoffs, so, we can just let the statistics speak for themselves.” When it came time for the playoffs, hREDS didn’t waste any time in setting up their Semifinal appearance, dispatching Radical – featuring friend-turned-foe @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) – in a swift five-game series (4-1) in the Quarterfinals. And after all, it is not all that surprising that hREDS seems to have raised their level going into the playoffs. This is a team that was, is and probably always will be, built for the postseason. A team that has experienced everything the Elite division has had to throw at them through the years – and more often than not has come out on top. Image: The Tunnel Vision roster, from left to right: NikkeDangles, Beniittto, FINSeRe, Vilupoika, Teemuyy, xdoumi & Mozjayh “I don’t think the regular season matters all that much in the end”, says Ruuhinen. “All the teams that reach the semifinal stage are there for a reason. You should always have the mindset that it doesn't matter who you face. To be the best, you must beat the best.” Leading the way for the team in both regular season – winning the scoring title by a 13-point margin with 90 points (43+47) in 30 games – and the playoffs, has been superstar center Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen. “Perttu has always been a great player”, says Ruuhinen. “He is our captain and leader – and he really picked up the squad and carried it in his backpack during the regular season. I hope the same momentum continues for him in the playoffs.” So, what’s the secret? “Perttu said he quit energy drinks and replaced them with water, maybe that's it?” As for his own regular season, where he scored an impressive 42 points (4+38) in 30 games, Ruuhinen places the emphasis on his partnership with equally gifted defender Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila: “I think I played quite well throughout the season. My role has changed a bit, though. I feel like I don't have to focus as much on the offensive side of the game when I have Teemu playing next to me. He enjoys carrying the puck just as much as I do.” Now, the time has come to face off with a familiar, yet inherently different, opponent in Straikers. And while hREDS is still made up of the mostly the same exact members that they’ve always been, they too are a different team. United in their hunger for another title win. “What makes this team special, outside of the players’ skill, is of course the fact that we have played together for such a long time and become good friends”, says Ruuhinen. “That bond is something special.” Watch the ECL Elite Semifinals at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG

16 became eight. Eight has become four. Four is about to become two. Ahead of the ECL ’24: Winter – Elite Semifinals, SportsGamer Guest Writer Hampus @l-Furyan-l Duvefelt goes in-depth with each of the Final Four teams in their Quest for the Cup… A TARGET ON YOUR BACK Being the best at what you do means having a target on your back. It means others will want to take you down, either to prove themselves or to install themselves in your place. This happens to every champion, of every sport, in all forms of competition. The ECL Elite is no different. The skaters of Straikers – made up of parts from former powerhouses HAVU and FILA/Frölunda – experienced it for a number of tournaments. hREDS experienced it for years once they dethroned the former champions. And now, no target is bigger than the one on the backs of two-time reigning champions Tunnel Vision. While the team is currently still the apex predator of the competitive scene, other predators are circling – probing for weaknesses and waiting for the chance to strike. Like great white sharks, waiting for that first drop of blood to appear before initiating their attack. Some would say that the first drop of blood has already been drawn; that it was in the water even before this season began. Indeed, deciding to replace a (potentially) vital cog in the machine that brought you two straight championships is no small thing. Yet, that is what Tunnel Vision decided to do when they recruited outspoken star forward Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola to man the center spot that had previously been occupied by Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen. But if you thought 23-year-old Veijola would feel any additional pressure to perform under such circumstances, you’d be wrong. “To be honest, (the pressure) does not affect me personally”, says Veijola. “I have played with many of these players before and I know how they like to go about things.” Around the same time Veijola was brought on to replace Kähkönen, goaltending stalwart and former ECL cover athlete Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen left the team for Straikers, leaving Tunnel Vision with the unenviable task of trying to replace a championship-winning goalie. The choice fell on Ben @benu Rinnet, a long-time Elite netminder who had already caught the eye of several top teams over the years during his extended run as the number one for the Unlucky Boys/YMCA Esports franchise. At this point of the story, it is important to note that the ECL ’24: Winter edition of Tunnel Vision has thus far been successful in fending off any and all attackers brave enough to challenge them. The team finished first overall in the standings during the regular season and managed to defeat the #8 seed The Black Jacks by a 4-2 margin in the playoff quarterfinals. Furthermore, both of the new recruits have fared well with the team; Veijola by matching his career-best in Elite with 65 points (30+35) in 30 games and Rinnet by notching an 85,19 save percentage, 1,75 GAA and two shutouts over 16 games, amongst shared goaltending duties with long-time Tunnel Vision back-up – and former ECL champion himself – Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos (14GP, 88,13%, 1,36 GAA, 4 SO). “The thing is… because of these roster changes we know there are a couple of teams out there that think they are stronger than Tunnel”, says Veijola. “We are here to find out if that is true or not.” Well, so far, so good. Both Veijola and Rinnet seem to have handled the newfound target on their backs quite well, adequately adapting to everyday life on a championship team. A life which the Core Four of Veeti @Wenger Paloneva, Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen, Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen and Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen have grown accustomed to. But as far as the recruits themselves… well, they couldn’t be more different. Where Rinnet is ice – displaying unshakable calmness between the pipes, rarely taking a wrong step in the crease – Veijola is fire. Image: The Tunnel Vision roster, from left to right: Kriketsi, Tomboo-_-, @Pikkardz, wengerii,Laiitinen, benuh_, Vattuyy, SibeIius The former GOONS captain and general manager utilizes the same passion and fervor on the ice – lining up massive hits, dangling his way through crowds and firing the puck with malicious intent – that he uses to handle his opponents off the ice. As for who his opponents off the ice are… well, judging by the centers’ social media feed over the past few months, it could be pretty much anyone. Upcoming semifinal opponent Vesa Pompa was one of the teams to take a good lick as Tunnel Vision scored two convincing wins over the team during the regular season. As this writer can personally attest to, it is not always fun being on ‘krikes’ bad side. And yet, hidden beneath the steely exterior, there is a fun-loving personality who simply enjoys a bit of smack talk. “Honestly, most of it is just me having a bit of fun”, Veijola explains. “I do enjoy making things a bit spicy. Having conflicts between players and teams makes the games more special… suddenly, there is a story to it. Naturally I am going to try and knock my opponents’ teeth in when they talk smack at me, and I know that they would love to do the same to me. To me, that is good." "These days, it seems everybody just plays – there is not enough emotion involved in the game.” For Tunnel Vision, a team that was already hunted, the addition of one of the communities’ strongest personalities certainly hasn’t made the target on their backs any smaller. Then again, perhaps that “us against the world”-mentality is exactly what this squad needed – a well-placed shot in the arm, if you will – as they pursue their third straight championship. An ECL championship win, by the way, that if it happens would be Veijolas first. As one of the best players in Elite yet to have win a championship, you’d think that would be on his mind going into the next round of the playoffs. Turns out, you’d be wrong again. “I don’t really think about it. It will come when the time is right.” Is it now? Watch the ECL Elite Semifinals at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG