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SportsGamers, A dominant showing throughout the season by a rather unexperienced squad with several rookies in their roster has awarded Mustaa Kultaa the ECL '23 Spring Lite Championship, and with that direct promotion to the Pro division. The team were in several tight positions throughout their Playoff run especially in the Semifinals and Finals, but as a well-oiled machine, they were able to work together to find their way to victory each time. Mustaa Kultaa's road to the championship: #2 seed from Group 3 with the record 25-5-0 Round 1: vs RoKi Esports (31) 4-0 Round 2: vs Golden Sticks (25) 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs HC Lugano eSports (29) 4-2 Semifinals: vs Boost HC (9) 4-3 Finals: vs Supernatural (5) 4-3 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #69 @ANIMALpak82 #82 @Simbanho #88 @PerfectGorilla DEFENSEMEN #3 @Velttola #97 @xray65x FORWARDS #12 @jaageri_ (A) #13 @Launonexx (C) #61 @Allupekkaz (A) #89 @Tumuttaja (xxHise) On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers, Tonight we'll be treated to the first three games in a highly anticipated Lite division Finals between Mustaa Kultaa and Supernatural. Both of these teams could take the Cup, so strap in, and expect a long series! (2) Mustaa Kultaa vs (5) Supernatural TOP SCORER (Playoffs) @Launonexx 22 GP, 24+24=48 vs @selänne8 (BiggestEight) 22 GP, 25+20=45 GOALTENDER (Playoffs) @Simbanho 17 GP, 12 W, 82,11 SV%, 2 GAA, 0 SO vs @Jugi9 22 GP, 16 W, 86,21 SV%, 1.45 GAA, 4 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 25-5-0 vs 22-3-5 REGULAR SEASON MATCHUP 5-4 OT, 3-2 We're in for an interesting battle in the ECL '23 Spring Lite Finals, which will be starting tonight at 19:45 CEST with the first three games of the series. As you'd have it, both Finalists have paved their way to this stage from Group 3 in the regular season, and they clashed for some very hard fought battles back in the group stage. Back then, Mustaa Kultaa managed to come away with both wins and @Launonexx lead the way for his team with 7 points to his name in the two games. Since then, both squads have solidified their starting goaltenders in the Playoffs and that'll be one to keep an eye on. Supernatural's @Jugi9 is experienced in these situations as he's now reached the Lite Finals for a third consecutive time with different teams - with a win still avoiding him. Both teams at this point are highly deserving Finalists and without a doubt the most skilled in the division at the moment. We could end up seeing a bit of a battle between styles, where Mustaa Kultaa could benefit from keeping the tempo up more, while Supernatural and their more experienced core would want to control the game more. I'd give the benefit to Supernatural due to their extensive experience. Prediction: Supernatural in 7.

After a hard fought competitive season with a renewed format for the NHL 23 World Championships a Champion has been crowned at the Finals event in Nashville, Tennessee. From the NHL All-Star Open and the European Chel Showdown to the Finals of the NHL 23 World Championships in Nashville, Tennessee, it's been a season like never before in the NHL esports scene and players have had lots of action throughout the lifecycle of the game. It was a toasty weekend in Music City, where the top four NHL 23 gamers in the world had gathered to battle for the World Championship for the first time since the pandemic put the world in restriction mode. Samuel @Canadiens 27 Landry (Cadcooks) from Sainte-Julie, Quebec and Joseph @Jos x 10 Olmstead from Troy, Michigan made their way to the Finals as the North American Champion and Runner-up respectively, whereas Erik @Eki Tammenpää from Helsinki, Finland and Teemu @temppanen Karvonen from Oulu, Finland caught a flight over to Nashville with corresponding titles on the European side of things. This season, the format of the Grand Finals was also improved based on player feedback and the event kicked off with a round robin, where all four players went up against each other. From the round robin, the #1 seeded player would clinch a direct spot in the Final and the #2 and #3 would go up against each others in a Semifinals matchup, with both of the latter being best-of-threes. After the initial round robin, Eki had managed to go 3-0 and thus clinch his spot in the Finals, whereas Jos and Temppanen were set to clash in the Semifinals. Cadcooks did not get his game going in the round robin and ended up being the odd man out. The Semifinals series between Jos and Temppanen was a wild show, where it was evident that the youngster, who made the trip by car from Michigan with his brother and good friend, started warming up. Jos really got in the groove and started converting on some of the plays he had been looking for earlier, and it seemed like Temppanen couldn't stop him - with that came a 2-0 Semifinals win and a spot to face Eki in the Finals. The Finals were seemingly more of the Jos show, where he caught fire early and grabbed a commanding lead of the first game, only to have Eki claw his way right back. While game 1 was fireworks all along between the young new talent and the one-time World Champion, game 2 was more of a defensive battle, where both gamers had their chances, but neither could find a way to convert quite like before. Eventually the Finals ended in a 2-0 sweep for Jos and with that - a new Champion was crowned. Fresh after his Championship clinching win, Jos also provided a legendary quote showcasing just how confident he was going into the Finals: "To be honest, when I came here, I expected this. I'm happy to get it done and happy to have all my buddies around. Hats off to Eki, one of the best players in the world for a reason" SportsGamer would like to congratulate Joseph @Jos x 10 Olmstead on this incredible feat!

SportsGamers, At the end of an impressive Playoffs run and a hard fought Finals series against big brother Golden Nights, we are able to crown Polski Boys the ECL '23 Spring Pro Champions! Polski Boys took the community by storm earlier in the year and were self-proclaimed Champions before the season had even started - rarely do we see teams actually deliver on their promises like that! With their Championship, not only does Polski Boys secure the largest share of the 5500€ prize pool, but also manage to gain promotion to the European Top 16 for their ECL '24 Winter campaign. Polski Boys' road to the championship: #3 seed from Group 2 with the record 22-7-1 Round 1: vs Prestige (6) 4-2 Quarterfinals: vs Renascor (6) 4-0 Semifinals: vs Luleå Hockey (1) 4-3 Finals: vs Golden Nights (4) 4-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #35 @Miettinen14 #62 @Kирилл (W1nchester_62) DEFENSEMEN #13 @kungenkurwa #44 @vote_10 (A) FORWARDS #4 @punt1la98 #22 @Brockela22 (C) #97 @h3rmu__ #98 @xSaski_ (A) On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers, Another ECL Elite season was wrapped up at the SportsGamer offices in Espoo over the weekend and at the end of a hard fought Finals series, Tunnel Vision emerged as the winners, claiming their second consecutive Championship in their third consecutive Finals appearance. The team is in unstoppable form and finished the clean sweep for the ECL '23 season. Tunnel Vision's road to the championship: #2 seed from with the record 24-3-3 Quarterfinals: vs JYP Jyväskylä (7) 4-3 Semifinals: vs hREDS (3) 4-3 Finals: vs Frölunda HC (1) 4-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #7 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen #86 Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos DEFENSEMEN #24 Veeti @Wenger Paloneva #65 Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen FORWARDS #9 Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen #37 Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen #67 Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen

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, It is finally time for the highly anticipated ECL '23 Spring Finals Weekend! Get ready for an extraordinary display of skill, strategy, and fierce competition as the top NHL esports players in Europe come together to battle it out for ultimate glory. This two-day extravaganza promises to be an unforgettable experience for all hockey and esports enthusiasts - everything live right at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Schedule Friday, June 16th ECL '23 Spring 1v1 TOP 4 Finals - Start time 19:00 CEST #1 Teemu @temppanen Karvonen vs #7 Adam @dzouvi Mensik #5 Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen vs #6 Arttu @Artuzio Mustila Saturday, June 17th ECL '23 Spring Elite Finals - Start time 18:00 CEST (1) Frölunda HC vs (2) Tunnel Vision From the jaw-dropping individual skills on Friday to the awe-inspiring team plays on Saturday, you won't miss a single moment of the action from the comfort of your own screen. Join the passionate NHL esports community as we witness the pinnacle of European competition. The stakes are high, and the excitement is palpable as these skilled competitors vie for their share of the combined prize pool of 10500€. So make sure to gather your friends, and prepare for an epic weekend of NHL esports excellence. Join us for the live stream on both days at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

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.