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NHLGamers, We're happy to admit our shortcomings and with that it's great to see several upsets in the first round of ECL 12 Lite Playoffs. On the other hand, three of the top seeded teams are still in the race. In this preview, brief speculation on each of the fixtures lies ahead.   (1)  Reality Check HC vs BIK Karlskoga Esport  (29) The #1 seed facing the bottom seed is always an interesting setup. Underdog BIK Karlskoga Esport had their day in round 1. Will history be able to repeat itself in round 2 as they are now definitely facing their toughest challenge yet? Reality Check HC quite comfortably won 4-1 in Round 1 even though Grilli Tulille gave good opposition in that series for example winning once and in the other games keeping it close. The black and yellow are in a good form and hard it's to imagine lightning strikes twice in the same place for Karlskoga. BIK Karlskoga Esports were underdogs against Royal HT but won that series and this can have an impact in this series against Reality Check HC by boosting their confidence. Prediction: Reality Check wins 4-2   (2)  noRex Gaming vs United Front  (28) This is also the case of a heavy favorite facing a true underdog. Similarly to before, it is tough to imagine United Front being able to cause another consecutive upset. In my opinion, however, United Front has better chances to repeat the surprise when compared to Karlskoga because they are on paper a slightly stronger team with a more playoff-friendly style of play. noRex Gaming lost one game to The Last Line but in general took home the series win in convincing fashion. United Front eventually beat Barys eSports in a tough game 7 series.  Prediction: noRex Gaming wins 4-2   (3)  GIFU Hockey vs Hokurit  (27) GIFU Hockey advanced quite easily from Round 1 and their matchup against VANHAT KYLJYKSET. This time it most likely won't be that easy. Hokurit is in great form and are coming off of a tough seven game series against UNI Gaming which has surely put them in that winning mentality. This could be the chance that is there for the taking for Hokurit, if they keep their strong play going, this could be a legendary run. Prediction: Hokurit wins 4-1 (9)  Powerhouse HC vs Almost Retired  (26) Powerhouse HC in, as their name suggests, powerful form and with that one of the serious contenders for winning the Lite title this season. Powerhouse HC defeated experienced Tic Tac Toes in a very tight, low scoring series 4-2. Almost Retired pushed through against all odds by beating IK Oskarshamn in a tough series as an underdog. The question is: did their fuel run out in that series or could there still be some left in the tank? Powerhouse HC might be too tough of an obstacle in this series. Prediction: Powerhouse HC wins 4-2   (11)  Lulea Hockey vs Baby Goons  (25) Baby Goons' good form from the regular seasons continues and a fierce battle in this series is to be expected. Lulea Hockey had a huge and tough series but won it in a game 7 against Hyperion. Baby Goons also won their series against TuTo Esports in Game 7 so both squads are now in playoff mode for sure. Baby Goons are most likely at their peak in terms of confidence. Their glory is likely to continue in this series but it won't be easy getting past Lulea Hockey.  Prediction: Baby Goons wins 4-3   (12)  Spirit vs Södertälje SK  (23)  Spirit won Ducktales BK 4-1. Notable in that series was that all games went to OT which is quite extraordinary. Södertälje BK had two OT's in their seven game series against Central Hockey Canucks. Both have experience in tough and tight battles, but spirit should be the ones advancing. Prediction: Spirit wins 4-1   (13)  Unwanted vs EHC Biel Bienne eSports  (18) EHC Biel Bienne Esports have been in good form this season so far and have continued that run into the playoffs by beating AiKnown in a tight round 1 series. Unwanted extended into a seven game series against RoKi Esports and managed to advance. They are a mentally strong team that also possesses tremendous amounts of skill, but EHC Biel Bienne eSports are great in the underdog position, and their form will not stop yet. Prediction: EHC Biel Bienne wins 4-2   (14)  Project X vs AfroDunk  (16) Along with Powerhouse HC, Project X is one of the black horses to grab the title in my books and now they're continuing their road to glory. AfroDunk is a good team that beat TTK with relative ease in the first round, however they lack the toolset to overcome a team as strong as Project X. Prediction: Project X wins 4-2   Players to watch In the players to watch-section we'll take a look at players that had a great contribution to their teams already in the regular season and further continued their form in the first round of playoffs. One of the most notable stars so far in the playoffs have been Project X goaltender @Easygame20(Torvelajr_) with a SV% above 90% and a very low GAA to go with that. Two EHC Biel Bienne Esports players @KG12PK88and @Red09Dragon08 have made remarkable contributions to their team in the playoffs. Both are among the top 10 in scoring stats for their position. @Pursuitti Reality Check HC GP 28 35+54=78 Regular Season / GP 5 4+4=8 Playoffs @Toivonen_ Spirit GP 29 40+44_84 Regular season / GP 5 3+5=8 Playoffs @Burtsi980H Baby Goons GP 28 48+38=86 Regular Season / GP 6 8+4=12 Playoffs @GERxVillain noRex Gaming GP 28 14+27=41 +38 Regular season / GP 5 1+6=7 Playoffs @samppa1995(xTuhlaajapoika) Baby Goons GP 26 36+37=73 Regular Season / GP 6 6+10=16 Playoffs @IDangledYouOut noRex Gaming GP 28 26+24=50 Regular Season / GP 5 6+9=15 Playoffs @Easygame20 (Torvelajr_) Project X GP 28 W 21 L 7 OTL 0 SV% 76,99 GAA 1,96 Regular Season / GP 5 W 4 L 1 OTL 0 SV% 93,75 GAA 0,6 Playoffs @KG12PK88 EHC Biel Bienne eSports GP 20 2+12=14 Regular Season / GP 6 2+6=8 Playoffs @Red09Dragon08 EHC Biel Bienne eSports GP 24 22+31=53 Regular Season / GP 6 6+6=12 Playoffs

The finish line is in sight! With only a third left to go of the season, now is the time for a final push. It is still mathematically possible for every team to either make or fall out of the playoffs, but naturally the likelihood of those events are up for debate.  FILADELPHIA continues strong as the sole team to stay undefeated in regular time this season. The black and orange suffered their only loss so far at the start of last week in a big matchup against hREDS in their ECL 11 Elite finals rematch. This season, the team is looking better than ever defensively, while maintaining a high offensive production - proven by their very low GA/GP at only 1.06, simultaneously averaging 4 goals a game into the opposing net. It seems like FILA is a lock for the #1 seed into the postseason with their toughest matchups already out of the way, HAVU Gaming and hREDS have the chance to challenge but a favorable outcome for them would require some lackluster effort on FILADELPHIA's part. Just behind the top 3, things are wide open and somewhat surprisingly recently promoted GOONS have managed to keep up their good performances. The newcomers lead by the likes of Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola and Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu currently sit in 4th place with a few games in hand on Farjestad BK, who also seem intent on clinching yet another playoff spot, their third consecutive in fact. The Swedes suffered two stinging losses at the hands of YMCA Esports early last week, but managed to come back convincingly by destroying KOVA Esports in a scoring explosion, netting current goal scoring leader Andreas @affelj96 Ljungberg a total of eight goals in those two games. The battle for those few playoff spots around the playoff line is also raging hard, and as usual it'll come down right to the finish line. Most prominently, we've got POGGERS, SAWO ESPORTS and YMCA Esports currently in playoff position, but Vesa Pompa, IQUE and Northern Ascendancy have all but given up. JYP Jyvaskyla are also looking to salvage their season after a terrible start despite being previewed as a surefire playoff squad. Players going under the radar that have been crucial for their teams are definitely Mikko @EABUNKA Kärkkäinen for SAWO and Jan-Mikael @Janski (Jansku23) Aittoniemi for POGGERS - these guys sit at 25 and 23 goals respectively, amounting to nearly 50% of their teams production. In the scoring race, hREDS experienced centerman Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen is topping the tables, followed closely by recent GWC EU Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää and it looks like the fight for that #1 spot is going to go right down to the wire between these two. After yet another strong week, Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann has further solidified his position as leading scorer among defensemen. The 26-year old right defenseman notched six points in four games and is just ahead of Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen and Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta.  When it comes to goaltending, Casper @ICappeI Lundgren reigns supreme! The FILADELPHIA netminder is at 17 wins for the season, a GAA of 1.06, a second-to-none save percentage and two goals! What!?   Transfers It's a somewhat rare occasion to see some movement at the Elite level after the start of the season, but some transfers have come to knowledge in the past week or so, we'll also be recapping possible movement in these reports. Here are the transfers that have come to light since last week:  Vesa Pompa IN Edvin @Thunborg5 Thunborg (FILADELPHIA) Despite not getting to make a single appearance in black and orange on ECL ice, the netminder spent a significant chunk of time learning from the best in FILADELPHIA. Now he is returning home to dear Vesa Pompa, who have struggled this season. The Swedes have an already strong netminder in Erik @MrAllsvenskan Rotsenius from before, so it'll be exciting to see if the two are to share duties or if Vesa Pompa has something else in mind. Thunborg already made his debut quite surprisingly on the RD spot in absence of other options - netting his career first ECL Elite goal against hREDS in a 3-2 defeat. Power Rankings Provided by @MartindalexC   1.  hREDS (14-3-1) [+5.5 | +11.50] 2.  POGGERS (10-8-0) [+5.125 | +6.875] 3.   FILADELPHIA (17-0-1) [+4.75 | +20.75] 4.  HAVU Gaming (16-3-1) [+4.50 | +15.25] 5.  GOONS (12-7-1) [+2.75 | +2.125] 6.  Färjestad BK (11-5-2) [+2.125 | +8.375] 7.  Tunnel Vision (5-9-4) [+1.50 | -6.75] 8.  Northern Ascendancy (7-8-3) [+1.00 | -3.125] 9.  IQUE (7-7-4) [-0.75 | -1.65] 10.  YMCA Esports (9-7-2) [-1.50 | +0.875] 11.  JYP Jyvaskyla (8-11-1) [-1.75 | +0.875] 12.  SAWO Esports (10-8-0) [-2.00 | +7.25] 13.  Vesa Pompa (7-7-2) [-2.75 | -2.25] T14.  Rusty Blades (3-11-2) [-3.75 | -10.875] T14.  ZSC Esports (3-11-4) [-3.75 | -8.75] 16.  KOVA Esports (7-11-2) [-7.50 | -9.50]