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NHLGamers, Round 2 of the IS Cup 4 playoffs saw an interesting matchup rivalry as the 2018 Finnish champions FILADELPHIA faced the Swedish champions of this year - Vesa Pompa HC. The stacked rosters are led by good friends Eki and eken45jr respectively. Expectations for this series were through the roof even though FILA was widely considered the favourite heading into the games. Head-to-head (Regular season stats) TOP SCORER I_Eki_I (12GP, 12+38=50) vs eken45jr (12GP, 9+13=22) GOALTENDER FinKonna (6GP, 6W, 85.10 SV%, 1.16 GAA) vs Thunboorg (12GP, 9W, 84.80 SV%, 1.58 GAA) Game 1 Like a typical opening game in a series, we saw a tight game with a disciplined tactical approach on both sides, as a result very few goals. FILADELPHIA took the lead and in the third period Vesa Pompa equalized. Both sides defended well but we also saw a couple of stellar scoring chances in both ends of the rink. In overtime FILADEPHIA scored in an instant, just like they must have determined during the short period break. FILADELPHIA - Vesa Pompa HC 2-1 OT Game 2 FILADELPHIA took the lead by putting up two goals relatively early in the first period. Their play seemed superior to what felt like most of the game but just before the end of the second period Vesa Pompa scored to make it 2-1. After their disastrous beginning, Vesa Pompa managed to compose themselves and really deserved their first goal. The start of the third period was a cold shower to say the least, as FILA managed to get an early goal increasing the differential to two goals again. Vesa Pompa didn´t give up and about five minutes before the buzzer they notch another one. There were some chances for the Swedes at the end but overall FILADELPHIA was the better team and deserved their win. Looking at the big picture I think the differences between the two teams became clearer in this game despite the tight score and Vesa Pompas good performance. The series score is 2-0 and at this point it's hard to see Vesa Pompa mounting a comeback with how convincing FILA's game is looking. Vesa Pompa HC - FILADELPHIA 2-3 Game 3 It is commonly quite typical that the third win is hard to take in these best of 5 or best of 7 playoff series and that is exactly what happened this time around too. Vesa Pompa took the lead in the first period and they went for broke to get the their vital first win in this series. It was refreshing to see a new found confidence and a true balls to the wall effort by the Swedes but FILADELPHIA weathered the storm and knew that losing this game could end up being costly. FILADELPHIA dominated the game in terms of the shot statistics and did by no means resort to merely playing defense. Vesa Pompa was also in good form and kept the lead until the third period. FILADELPHIA managed to equalize on the powerplay when @PleeMaker acted as the closer at the end of a beautiful passing play. We had overtime and lots of it to ensue. These teams played well past the halfway mark of the second overtime period when finally FILA managed to strike gold. This time @Juunas finished a one-timer from close range. FILADELPHIA moves on by a sweep. FILADELPHIA - Vesa Pompa HC 2-1 OT Above: FILA OT goal in Game 3 to win the series All the games in this series were tight and two went to overtime. FILADELPHIA showed their strength and experience by managing to win games after being down by a goal twice. It was not result of coincidence but a result of determination and experience in playing together and a strong team spirit. Vesa Pompa put forth an enormous effort in challenging this top team and gave their best but this time, that wasn't enough. FILA was the better team in all areas and deservingly moves on to the quarterfinals. Which series should we cover next?

Image credit: Estudios Zürich NHLGamers, It’s yet another beautiful day as we get to announce another traditional sports franchise solidifying their presence in the rapidly growing esports environment. This time the Swiss hockey powerhouse ZSC Lions are making an entry into NHL esports by signing Swiss-based team The Black Jacks. The team, led by captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi has been competing at the ECL stage for three total seasons now, being promoted to the pro level to cap off a championship run in ECL 7. The three founding members SnuS, Mike @burban26 Müller and Mario @Cami_7 Camenzind are still proudly sporting the teams colours after transitioning over from Xbox in late 2017. Besides ECL competition the former The Black Jacks have played GCL rather successfully, amassing three seasons worth of experience but never managing to overcome their arch nemesis BRAYCE Phantoms in the finals. Is that the hottest non-scandinavian rivalry in the scene? "I met our manager Hakan Pazarcikli at a Call of Duty tournament some time ago, we had a short chat and I asked about the possibility to host an NHL tournament, which he showed some interest in. The tournament was held and with 124 participants signing up, we had proven the potential of NHL esports even in a non-traditional market like Switzerland. Negotiations ensued and Hakan managed to get us in touch with ZSC Lions about a 1 year engagement in NHL esports. We are happy to act as pioneers in the Swiss NHL community and eager to collect valuable experience with this project." - Captain Sven “Original_SnuS” Julmi on the negotiation process Image credit: Estudios Zürich & NHLGamer We had a short chat with captain @Original-SnuS about his feelings on the new partnership: ZSC Lions is one of the more prestigious Swiss clubs and seems to have the urge to be pioneers on many fronts (Case Matthews). Now heading into esports, how does it feel to represent an organisation like ZSC Lions? We are honoured to represent this club on the virtual ice. I am very happy that one of the best Swiss clubs showed interest in taking this step. We will proudly represent the colour of ZSC Lions in every game. You’ve now established yourselves as a Pro level team - what are your goals going into your second season at that level? Well, we only have one season behind us. The first one was decent but showed a lot of our weak points. Rest assured those quirks have been worked out and the next step is reaching playoffs. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves by setting bigger goals than that. The team didn’t give us any specific performance related goals to meet. ZSC Lions eSports will play their first games on Sunday, 3rd of November in a friendly matchup against Växjö Lakers. The puck drops at 20:00 CET and the action can be followed at www.twitch.tv/zscesports. Team captains Mike @burban26 Müller (A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C) and Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich (A) Image credit: Estudios Zürich ZSC Lions ZSC Lions is a hockey club hailing from the Swiss city of Zürich. The club was founded in 1930 and is one of the most prestigious clubs in the country with a total of eight national championships and several other accomplishments such as a CHL championship in 2009. The club is also known for being Auston Matthews’ home for the 2015-2016 season when the superstar got his first taste of pro hockey after going through the US National Team Development Program. ZSC Lions is the first Swiss organisation to venture into NHL esports.