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NHLGamers, We're down to 64 teams remaining in the 3rd annual FCL league and with the playoffs starting, the real meaningful games are just around the bend. At this point, also the defending champion and #1 seed FILADELPHIA will join in on the action after sitting out the group stage and enjoying some time to hone their form in time for the playoffs. The FCL 6v6 playoffs will be played in a best-of-five format and qualified teams will be seeded based on PPG going into the postseason. The first round of the playoffs starts Today on Wednesday, 1st of September and is to be played by the end of Sunday, 5th of September. Without further ado, here are your Round 1 matchups: (1) FILADELPHIA vs Bruise Brothers (64) (2) hREDS vs Powerhouse HC (63) (3) IQUE vs Lutunilkat (62) (4) POGGERS vs Nordic Knights (61) (5) HAVU Gaming vs Bare Knuckles Hockey (60) (6) Dynastia vs Wilhelm Devils (59) (7) JYP Jyvaskyla vs Rahinakaukalo (58) (8) GOONS vs VANHAT KYLJYKSET (57) (9) Tunnel Vision vs Murohoki (56) (10) KOVA Esports vs Oulunsalo HT (55) (11) SAWO Esports vs Baby Goons (54) (12) Sulkavan Sudet vs Angry Cats (53) (13) BoxinElite vs Reality Check HC (52) (14) Kiekko-Espoo Esports vs Patience (51) (15) Sack Brothers vs SKYFALL (50) (16) Otukset eSports vs Cowabunga Hockey (49) (17) RCTIC vs RoKi Esports (48) (18) Project X vs Shameful Knights (47) (19) VISU Gaming vs TIKI TALK (46) (20) Reign vs Nordic Stars (45) (21) Hotbox vs Kouvola Screaming Eagles (44) (22) FILADELPHIA Academy vs Pasilan SKA (43) (23) Conquer Gaming vs Stone Age (42) (24) GIFU Hockey vs Tohtorit (41) (25) Arkham Asylum vs Blacklist (40) (26) Spirit vs PunaKala (39) (27) Lemmenvelhot vs UNI Gaming (38) (28) Hokurit vs The Last Line (37) (29) Resurrection vs Perttilan Kommandot (36) (30) Rusty Blades vs Pata Hellalla (35) (31) Rookie Mistakes vs Setelit On Ice (34) (32) Sopranos vs STARGAZING (33) Key points to follow throughout the first round: - The domination of Dynastia. They look a bit out of place among the top seeds filled with established Elite squads, right? Don't be surprised if this ensemble manages to push far into the postseason. They had a convincing group stage, dropping points in only two matchups. It'll be interesting to see how they match up against teams outside their own group. - Group 3 teams and their postseason performance. The group was exceptionally strong throughout the regular season and several of the teams coming out of this group hold point averages on the higher end. Especially Otukset eSports is an exciting squad that somewhat surprisingly managed to snag a #2 spot in their group. - Established squads that underperformed in the group play. Teams such as Conquer Gaming, Rusty Blades, Reality Check HC and Rookie Mistakes to name a few. These teams dropped surprising points in the group stage and as a result hold lower seeds than perhaps expected. Can they plow through their opposition from a tougher position and could it perhaps benefit them in the end? - Underdogs. We've got some interesting teams in underdog positions. A comeback story in Shameful Knights is one to keep an eye on, but also Nordic Stars, Cowabunga Hockey or Patience are a few of the teams that could cause upsets.

NHLGamers, we are back with another article in our "Player Spotlight" series. There are many talented and highly skilled players in the German community that are worthy to take closer look at. In our second article we are proud to present you Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg, assistant captain of noRex Gaming and member of the NHLGamer writing staff. 1. When and why did you start playing EASHL in NHL? I started playing EASHL in NHL09 with friends from school. In the beginning we used to play with 3 or 4 players and the remaining positions were filled by bots. At some point in time Patrick @RPH_31 Braun messaged me if I was interested in joining his club. And so I joined my first 6v6 club, the so called "German Bulls" where Stefan @Toews19 Schoierer (BarriosLucas18) and Mario @Laurentius Schneeweis (Larphox) played, too. Since then BarriosLucas18 and Larphox were part of every team I played in. 2. What are your highlights in your EASHL career so far? One of my first highlights was making the playoffs with the "Eisbaeren Regensburg" in GCL 4. Especially since the team was fighting in the relegation zone of the league before it was a great accomplishment to make the playoffs and participate in the quarterfinals after winning our series in the pre-playoffs. On the international virtual ice it is the promotion to ECL Pro twice. After losing the quarterfinal series in ECL 10 Lite against HUIPPUPASSI (now Goons; 3:4) it eventually was enough to secure a spot in ECL 11 Pro. And obviously our silver medal in ECL 12 Lite and gaining promotion straight back into the second highest league on European level. Individually one of my strongest seasons was ECL 10 Lite where I was able to secure a place among the leagues top 10 scorers in the regular season (30GP: 33G + 53A = 86P) and playoffs (16GP: 22G + 23A = 45P). On top of that I was able to secure the top scoring title in RCL 8 Pro for EHC Traktor Chelyabinsk (22GP: 36G + 35A = 71P). In 1v1 I secured the 2nd place in the eDEL (official German Championship of the German Hockey League DEL) where I felt short to @Timasy in the finals. In the Gaming World Championship 2021 I managed to get into the Top 64 on PS4 in Europe. 3. What are your personal goals and long term objectives in 6v6? Personally I want to develop my playing style in 1v1 and be more consistent. In the next eDEL and GWC I would like to confirm this years performances and get into the finals respectively Top 64. My main focus is on 6s with noRex Gaming. After our promotion back to ECL Pro we want to establish ourselves in the league and prove ourselves that we belong to Europes Top 48. We have a young, talented and highly motivated roster that is always keen on learning and developing which is one of our biggest strengths. Staying in the league and denying the qualifier tournament will be our main goal in ECL 13. 4. What is your favourite dish? Himmel un Äd (translated: heaven and earth; typical dish from Cologne: mashed potatoes, apple sauce and black pudding). 5. If you could create two teams, one for the ECL (only non German players) and one for the GCL, what starting six would you put together? You can only choose one player from your own team. ECL Team: LW @FlyerKungen - C @Beniittto - RW @Eki LD @Lehmannens - RD @loimmu G @ICappeI In the offense we have three of the most dangerous and individually skilled attackers in ECL Elite. @FlyerKungen normally plays on the right wing but considering his skill and experience I can imagine him performing on the same level on the left wing. You do not need any explanation why I put @Beniittto and @Eki in my offensive lineup after the last seasons. @Lehmannens is extremely fun to watch and his scoring touch would improve any team in the scene. Especially his 1v1 abilities are one of the reasons why I like his style of play. With @loimmu we probably find the best RD of ECL Elite in my team. As well as the best netminder of the world: @ICappeI. GCL Team: LW @IDangledYouOut - C @PlaymakerSJ - RW @Timasy LD @Franky__2768 - RD @Toneee9 G @Fightlocke3 In the offense we find the three most skilled players in the community. @Toneee9 is naturally a LD but I would really like to see the combination of him and @Franky__2768 - especially offensively. @Fightlocke3 took a great development in the last two seasons. It is worth to mention that he started playing NHL in the summer of 2020 and already is on a very good level. Surely one of the rising goalie stars in the German 6s scene. 6. Have you ever played hockey in real life? I never played icehockey but I always played street- and rollerhockey with friends. In contrast to virtual hockey you won't find me on the right wing but between the pipes. 7. Would you rather be an average hockeyplayer or the best EA Sports NHL player? I'd rather be the best player in EA Sports NHL. 8. What is your favourite memory in real hockey? I have two moments stuck in my mind: My favourite team in real life are the Kölner Haie (Cologne Sharks). My first game in the Kölnarena was a 7:1 victory over the Hamburg Freezers in 2004. As well as the overtime win in the playoffs 2008 against the Adler Mannheim. Philip Gogulla scored the OT GWG after 168 minutes. The longest game in the German league to date. 9. What are your hobbies and what are you doing in your free time? If there was not a global pandemic right now I like to follow the matches of my favorite football team FC Cologne. On top of that I connect two passions: football and travelling, the so called "Groundhopping". I try to visit as many stadiums of different clubs in as many different countries as possible (I watched over 650 games in almost 300 stadiums in 24 countries). 10. Pizza with or without pineapple? Obviously without. 11. If you could listen to only one song for a whole day while playing NHL, which song would it be? Wasted Penguinz - Wide Awake (special shoutout to @esdor) 12. What's the story behind your PSN ID? It is the village where I grew up in local dialect. 13. Who is the best ECL (non German) and GCL player? ECL: Erik @Eki Tammenpää GCL: Tim @Timasy Hess 14. How do you spend your vacation? As mentioned in the answer to question 9: travelling to different countries and visiting different cities and stadiums. 15. High-scoring game or OT drama? Definitely OT drama (with the better end for my team). 16. Do you have any rituals before league games? Our goalie Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert, LD Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer and me always hit the practice rink and take some shots, breakaways and simple passes to warmup and prepare for the matchup. 17. What's your conclusion about ECL 12 and how do you compensate the departure of IDangledYouOut? I am extremely proud of what we accomplished in ECL 12 Lite. We failed in the Pro qualifier just by a small margin so we were very determined to earn instant promotion back to ECL Pro. The way how we managed to win our group and dominated in our playoff run until the finals is really something we can be proud of. This season helped our young team a lot and we can take a good development from that and mature as a whole team. IDangledYouOuts experience and individual class helped us massively in reaching our goals. But I am very confident that we find an adequate player who will fit perfectly into our team. I think that nearly any player in the world can be replaced by good chemistry within a team. 18. What are your goals for ECL 13 and GCL 8? As mentioned earlier before we want to maintain our spot in ECL Pro and prove that we belong to the Top 48 in Europe. It will be our second season on Pro level and everyone of us matured a lot. On top of that every player improved individually which makes us a way better team compared to ECL 11 Pro when we had to pay tuition in many situations. For GCL 8 we want to confirm our semifinal appearances from the last seasons. Maybe we will be able to take the next step and get into the finals for the first time.

NHLGamers, Yet another action packed year full of virtual hockey has passed, and with that it's been nearly a year since the last FCL was hosted, concluding in a thrilling final series between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming on the 6v6-side, whereas Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila clashed in the 1v1 finals. This year, we'll be returning for another great season, and like before, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2021) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL). The FCL will be played through August and September and will be completed entirely online (subject to change). The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2021 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2021 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 17.8: Schedule for FCL 1v1: Group stage: 23.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-26.9 TOP 4 Finals: 1.10 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Sign-ups for 6v6 are open now and will be open until 11.8: Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 16.-31.8 Playoffs round 1: 2.-5.9 Playoffs round 2: 6.-9.9 (BO5) Playoffs round 3: 13.-16.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 20.-23.9 (BO5) Semifinals: 27.-29.9 (BO5) Finals: 2.10. (BO5) Prize Pool The total prize pool is 10 000 EUR, split between the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes, as described below: *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2021 Finals. Due to the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the PlayStation console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust any details. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion FILADELPHIA will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules. The NHL GWC European Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!