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SportsGamers, An exhausting ECL '23 Spring 1v1 season has come to it's close last night and with that, it's time for several players to start their summer holidays. We had an incredible Finals event at the SportsGamer offices, where the top four European players battled it out for ultimate glory. Eventually one managed to rise above the others, and this time it was Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen, who caught fire and was in a class of his own throughout the Finals evening. Pikkarii's road to the Championship: Group stage: 11-0-0 (#2 seed into the Playoffs) Round 1: vs @Danyyy452 2-0 Round 2: vs @J-_-Jamaltheman 2-0 Top 16 Group stage: 2-1-0 (#5 seed into the Playoffs) Quarterfinals: vs @sisu33_ 2-1 Semifinals: vs @Artuzio 2-0 Finals: vs @dzouvi 2-0 SportsGamer congratulates the new Champion and extends a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers, We're excited to be closing in on the final games of the ECL '23 Spring Lite season as we are already in the Quarterfinals! All remaining teams certainly have what it takes in terms of skill to claim that ultimate prize, but at this point of the competition, it often comes down to intangibles. Look for experienced teams to thrive, teams that know what it takes to win in the Playoffs. Most of these series have already started yesterday, so make sure to check in to see how these thrilling matchups finish!   Mustaa Kultaa  (2) vs HC Lugano eSports  (29) If you think one of these teams look out of place at this point of the competition, it's because they really do! HC Lugano eSports had a weak regular season campaign, barely finding their way into the Playoffs, where they've finally turned on the jets, so to speak. As one of the lowest seeded teams in the competition, they've been able to take down two very highly ranked squads in Dark Wild & Skelleftea AIK already. Now they'll try to crush the championship dreams of Mustaa Kultaa, who are on what looks like an unstoppable trajectory towards the cup. Spearheaded by what looks like one of the best offensive trios in the division this season, they will wreak havoc on the defense of HC Lugano in this series unless the Swiss team finds a way to counter that, perhaps with a supercharged offensive of their own? Prediction: HC Lugano eSports in 7. Supernatural  (5) vs Predators  (21) As previously mentioned, Supernatural is one of the strongest squads in the division on paper, and they've got plenty of experience to get them out of tough situations, should they need it. @selänne8 (BiggestEight) has been an invaluable asset for the team, who hardly played in the regular season but really shines when the games are at their toughest. Predators are another one of those lower seeds, who are living off of their strong offense, but really need to tighten up in their own end against stronger competition. They had a tough time in round 1 against Hannover Indians eSports, but easily defeated Nappula in round 2.  Prediction: Supernatural in 7. PunaKala  (6) vs Cheeky Grinders  (10) PunaKala is looking like they're in prime form just in time for the biggest games of the season, with an 8-2 record in the Playoffs, this team haven't been tested at all by their previous opponents. @Joniner is also sporting a good 87,44 SV% with two shutouts between the pipes. We've got Cheeky Grinders in equally good form though and since the first games of the round have already been played, the former Core Champions are already up in the series by 2-1. The Grinders have been able to keep more possession and generate slightly more chances in the three games played, so that bodes well for them moving forward. Prediction: Cheeky Grinders in 6.  Ultimatum  (7) vs Boost HC  (9) Ultimatum is another squad that relies on high-octane offense to carry them in breaking down the opposing defense, but it might get tougher to do that when effective defensive squads start shutting down the netfront and best scoring positions up the middle. Boost HC have managed to do that very well early on in this series, and are already up by three after the first night of competition.  Prediction: Boost HC in 4.  

SportsGamers, Get ready for an electrifying showdown as two NHL esports powerhouses collide once again in the highly anticipated ECL '23 Spring Elite Finals. The stage is set for an epic rematch between Tunnel Vision and Frölunda HC, reigniting the intense rivalry that captivated fans during their thrilling Winter season Finals series. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions, jaw-dropping plays, and nail-biting moments as these elite teams battle it out for supremacy. Follow the ECL '23 Spring Elite Finals live at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG on Saturday, June 17th starting 18:00 CEST!   (1)  Frölunda HC vs (2)  Tunnel Vision TOP SCORER (Playoffs) Erik @Eki Tammenpää 12 GP, 8+15=23 vs Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 14 GP, 14+5=19 GOALTENDER (Playoffs) Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen 12 GP, 8 W, 79,12 SV%, 1.58 GAA, 1 SO vs Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 14 GP, 8 W, 86,21 SV%, 1.71 GAA, 3 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 24-3-3 vs 24-4-2   This Weekend, we'll get to witness a rematch from the latest ECL Elite Finals at Assembly Winter, back then Tunnel Vision drew the longer straw and came away with a 4-3 series win to go to the World Finals against Entourage. Earlier this season, the two split wins in two very hard fought battles in which Frölunda HC controlled the pace and centerman Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala was one of the most dominant players on the ice. In an interesting turn of events, Frölunda will be entering the Finals without their number #1 centerman, though. Their true and tested Finals stand-in Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta wil be subbing in on defense and we're expecting to see Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha taking over at center. They should've had plenty of time before the Finals to work things over within the team and the rearrangement shouldn't matter all too much in a team of their caliber, but margins are small at the top, and Tunnel Vision will strike at any sign of weakness they can spot.  While Tunnel Vision were far from their best in their Semifinals clash against rivals hREDS, they've now had lots of time to digest the takeaways they've made from that thriller of a series. Their experience from big events pales at the side of Frölunda HC, but Tunnel Vision has a "prove it"-factor after managing to clinch their first ever ECL title in the Winter season but losing out on a World title in a rather disappointing World Finals series. Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen has managed to continue being their main man on offense, clinching the regular season scoring title for the second time in a row. Tunnel Vision's undeniable strength in this series will be the puck carrying ability of Veeti @Wenger Paloneva and his skill to jump in on the rush to assist his forwards. Coupled with excellent play throughout the season by goaltender Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, this looks like a tough team to beat at the moment.  Statistically, a glaring difference between these two teams is the amount of shots they are allowing. Naturally the styles of their opponents will matter greatly, but thus far in the Playoffs, Frölunda HC have limited their opponents to less than half of the chances that Tunnel Vision have allowed. Frölunda is also statistically more prone to take shots than their opponents, do with that information what you will but to us these factors suggest that we're going to see a series where Tunnel Vision might be more conservative with their shots, whereas Frölunda HC could end up being the ones to throw more pucks on net, partially forced as a result of their roster rotation ahead of the big games.  Prediction: Tunnel Vision in 6.