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It's time for the ECL '24: Winter - Core Semifinals, and without further ado, let's jump into our Semifinal Preview! Schedule Playoffs (BO7) Semifinals: 23.-29.1. Finals: 31.1.-1.2. * * Dates are subject to change as broadcast productions are confirmed. Semifinal Previews: Matchup 1 SACK BROTHERS (2) vs BushWhackers (12) Between these two matchups, this one could be probably called some kind of a David vs Goliath matchup, although both teams have skilled individuals and good team chemistry. Sack Brothers have a lot of experience from many seasons in ECL Lite, Pro, the Elite Qualifiers, and as a matter of fact, they won the ECL Lite 10 championship back in the day with some of the same players in their current lineup. On paper, Sack Brothers could have arguably the best roster in the Core division this season and that could indeed be the case since they finished the regular season as the #2 seed and have been going strong playoff run recording only 2 losses so far. Their expected starting goalie in this series @Janucek has been outstanding between the pipes with a save percentage of 92.41 and a GAA of 0.86 being #1 in both stats in the playoffs. Speaking about stats-leading players, C/RW @Jjomppa has been one of the most point-producing players in Core, finishing #2 in the regular season (41G+53A=94P) and is leading the playoffs in points (37G+18A=55P) with a remarkable difference to other names on the top and making it even more impressive; in a significantly lower amount of games played than anyone else in the top 5. And if that's not enough to think about for BushWhackers, @snippystatue is currently #6 (22G+19A=41P) so they really have to figure something out to stop them from continuing point-bursting like that. That being said, stopping firepower is something that BushWhackers managed to do, as their solid defense and @HiBaZiBa- finessed 3 shutouts in the Quarterfinals, where they defeated last season's Core champion HC Gaming (previously named French Eagles), whose every 3 starter forward is currently in the top 5 in playoff points. While Sack Brothers is the more experienced team and have mostly dominated their way to the semifinals, for most players in BushWhackers this has been the second or even first season in the ECL. For example, @BounTy JokerZ is having his debut season, yet finished #4 in regular season points (28G+64A=92P), and @Pensasmies finished his second regular season in a row as a top 2 in points for defensemen. After just barely missing playoffs last Core season, rebranding the team, and the addition of @hifk_FANI as a versatile player rotating on different positions yet still #5 in defensemen points and @esdor bringing big energy in the roster they have been taking big steps at growing their team together and showing up with a solid 6 so far just at the times when they have been needing it the most. After beating the previously mentioned reigning champion in the rollercoaster series in game 7, also beating Lutunilkat in an entertaining thriller series in game 7 shutting off their deadliest weapon @Wpaanane in the series before that, they surely have every bit of confidence needed to take one extra win in the do-or-die moments. If this series needs a game 7 again, maybe this will be an advantage for BushWhackers? Another interesting thing to follow is how former Pro teammates - hifk_fani vs @IKarkkiI & jjomppaa - from RCTIC will play against each other. Both sides would definitely love to take the final spot over familiar faces. Maybe it gives a different approach compared to their previous series in these playoffs as they might know what tricks the opponent has up their sleeves? Prediction: @Pekedipeks: Sack Brothers 4-3 How to follow the series Sack Brothers feed: https://twitch.tv/snippystatue BushWhackers feed: https://twitch.tv/pensasmiess Semifinal Previews: Matchup 2 Mights (7) vs Belissimo (9) Mights was formed during the offseason and as a new squad had some ups and downs at the beginning of the regular season. They also had some mid-season roster changes but in the end got their puzzle pieces together and finished second in Group 1 with seed #7 into the playoffs. Instead of having one top-scoring player, all of their three main forwards got points evenly throughout the regular season. Their defense has been solid with a brilliant PK% (92.45) in the regular season and @Madladcas making huge saves which also may have been the biggest key point of their playoff run. They have been playing with a convincing mentality when playing under pressure, being 1-3 down in the round 2 series against Rusty Bulls, yet managed to scramble their way to a game 7 win. And not only that, but manager another 7-game series win right after that in the quarterfinals against Aspyre Dragons. On the other side of the ice to face this newly-formed defensive team is Belissimo - the team who have played together for a few seasons having made their debut as a team in the ECL 12 season. Will there be any kind of difference seen due to more experience playing as a squad? While Mights did not have any skaters as the top scorers in the regular season, Belissimo's d-men @SirSamul1 and @Pyllyhaiseva both were productive ending the regular season as #3 (16+25=41) and #6 (5+32 = 37) in defensemen points. When two possibly even lineups of similar playstyles meet, a goalie battle could be a big factor in deciding the outcome of the series, which I would also predict to be pretty even as Belissimo's goalie @Odexm also has been doing a great job in the playoffs being #4 in save percentage (82.99). Both teams' goalies have been doing a decent amount of work to achieve this with 16 & 17 games played in 3 rounds. Prediction: @Pekedipeks: Belissimo 4-3 @hifk_FANI: Belissimo 4-3 How to follow the series Gotham Knights feed: https://twitch.tv/madladcas ECL '24: Winter - SportsGamer Wraparound: The Wraparound covers what's been happening in the ECL '24: Winter - Elite, Pro, Lite, Core & Neo Divisions. We also look at the results for the first two Leijonat eHockey tournaments and the excitement of the PlayStation Showdown. ECL '24: Winter - Core Prize Pool: Social media: Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi We wish all teams the best of luck! PS: We are looking for writers: If you are interested in contributing to making the ECL coverage better, please get in touch with @Kenu.

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