NHLGamers,
The ECL 11 Lite season has now progressed far enough that it's time for your Mid-season report. In this report we will be going through some of the groups, but taking a look at teams that have impressed and some that should have showed us a bit more.
The style of this report might change a bit this time due to the fact that the Lite division has an increased number of teams. For this reason, I decided to attempt writing as widely as possible about the Lite season while keeping it brief in order to keep this report as readable as possible. So with readability and clarity in mind and with the objective of including as many teams as possible, some aspects might be covered at a glance.
Who's hot, who's not?
Fist off, some star teams and some teams which had not played so well when reflecting on the expectations these teams should have had before the season.
Top performers
As predicted in the season preview, this strong team has taken their place in the TOP 3 of the standings and has scored a huge number of goals - averaging 6,1 per game in fact. Attacker @Wowa_1995 (36+46) is currently at 3rd position in the league scoring race.
Prior to the season Tic Tac Toes was predicted to be one of the better teams of the season. Last season went well and their form has continued from where it left off. @Wpaanane (39+46) and @Artuzio (35+41) are among their stars of the season so far. @L4nnisto was initially expected to start as goalie but has played as a skater (6+36) and seen zero action in net so far.
The legendary team that has been reunited and was one of the strongest contenders in the preview of the season. They haven't been as dominantly strong as they could have been but still played more or less like you might expect. @hpkfani has had a great season so far in terms of points (19+36) and @PCJP as a goalie (84,43 SV%) has performed outstandingly.
Same applies as for Tic Tac Toes. One of the success stories of last season continues their good form. In Group 5, Hokurit is one of the teams playing for the group win together with Dynastia. @Somerjoki as one of the best goalies (81,6 %) in Lite so far has been one of the teams key players contributing to their success. @jouni29 is Hokurit´s best in scoring currently (33+27). The team spent last weekend in bonding terms at a cabin somewhere in the Finnish wilderness - by the looks of it, the guys could have some shaky thumbs on Sunday evening, but all in all the team should come away a stronger unit.
Two of their players @Majuri20 (31+54) and @makichuk (57+27) are leading in scoring and assist stats which has had a tremendous impact on the whole teams performance. Dynastia is currently at the top of the table in group 5. They have some very experienced players and should be able to handle an upcoming playoff run well.
Outstanding 100% win rate so far in 14 games at the writing time of this report. Scoring an average of 5,5 goals per game. Tremendous season at the group stage so far and has the potential to go undefeated but it remains to be seen if this form will continue in the playoffs. Strong finalist contender if they can even somehow keep up their level of play. @Tacterz(23+36) and @olgaaa71 (21+36) are the leading players of Bjorkloven Esports so far this season.
SPIRIT
SPIRIT is a squad in group 7 that has managed to go 17-0-0 so far into the season. Having a group of players from former Me Carvoset makes for a strong foundation and adding some well rounded pieces to that has seemed to work for the club. Currently @Toivonen_ at the right wing is their go-to-guy with a nice lead in the points department.
Improvement expected
Expected a whole lot more than struggling to reach to play-off positions. Recently improved their playing a little bit potentially at the point of acquiring @topikeranen and results have followed. Has risen above the playoff line but still needs more points to remain in such a position. Has the potential to do better and have lost many games with only a 1 or 2 goal margin or in OT. If they reach playoffs they might still be a tough task for most opponents at the later stages of the season.
Last season was a success as along with teams like Tic Tac Toes and Hokurit that have proven most of their potential so far unlike Sjukstugan. The quality team Sjukstugan is you should and can expect a whole lot of more from them. At the moment in an 8 win streak but still needs to win more games to secure their place in the playoffs. Has some crucial games in last rounds of the regular series against TuTo Esports and EISFORCE Hockey. Has the experience to be a really tough playoff opponent.
Group overview
We are also going to take a short look at the groups in general and speculate a bit on playoff positions and the potential outcomes in the groups. The speculation is based on the time of writing which is Sunday, 6th of December and situations might have changed since. In some groups the top two places are quite clear already but all the other positions in the table are still wide open.
Group 1
ECDC Memmingen Esports is a strong contender for winning the group. Almtuna and Hammarby Hockey are challengers but are more likely playing for positions 2 and 3. Positions 7-13 in the table are still open and most likely the last playoff places will be determined in the very last rounds of the regular season. One of the highlights in the playoff race is KohKae Esports vs Virtuoso towards the end of the season. KohKae Esports also has high stakes in their matches against Clowns on Ice who are also still in the pursuit playoffs so it will be a tough battle for sure.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
Almtuna Esports vs Juggernauts (top 4 positions )
Remparts de tour Esports vs Almtuna Esports (top positions)
Hammarby Hockey vs Blackjacks (top 4 positions)
ECDC Memmingen vs Almtuna Esports (title-race)
KohKae Esports vs Virtuoso (Playoff-race)
KohKae Esports vs Clowns on Ice (Playoff-race)
Group 2
Tic Tac Toes still have chances for the title. Pahat Pommittajat and Golden Nights are the two fiercest rivals to fight for the top spot. Ringette HC is not out of the battle yet either. Verket and Northern Legacy Esports are most likely to play for the last playoff place. The Last Line still needs more points to secure their place and DEG Esports are not yet completely out. Some teams have more games at the moment than others so that can give the edge to the team that has more games in pushing the pressure to the team that has some catching up to do.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
The Last Line vs Golden Nights (Both fighting for crucial points)
DEG Esports vs Pahat Pommittajat (Both fighting for crucial points)
Tic Tac Toes vs Ringette HC (playing for top 4 places)
Group 3
Bjorkloven Esports are convincingly going on towards winning the group. There are still teams in short distance who can still challenge like Exerceo and Sinister. In the playoff race the situation is as close as can be: nearly all teams between positions 5-13 can still reach playoffs and also drop out if they go on a cold run. Only the bottom team Mighty Stixxx is out of the playoffs for sure.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
Bjorkloven Esports vs Sinister (top spot on the table)
Grenoble BDL Esports vs Teutons (playoff race)
Grenoble BDL vs Lulea Hockey (playoff race)
Group 4
MUKIMIEHET have returned to ECL in convincing fashion. However the fight for the group #1 spot is still wide open. Teams like Sopranos and ASM Hockey are among the contenders racing for the last playoff spots with their matchup being one of the key battles determining the playoff race. In addition to that, ASM Hockey particularly still has some games against other teams in that mid-table range which are really important. Sopranos also has many important matches later in the regular season like the game against Northern Falcons which is important to both teams for different reasons: Northern Falcons is playing for a top 4 position whereas Sopranos fights for that last playoff spot.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
MUKIMIEHET vs Calzone HC (top spot on the table)
Sopranos vs ASM Hockey (playoff race)
ASM Hockey vs Saucer Hockey (playoff race)
Oton Letkutemppu vs Baby Goons (playoff race)
Oton Letkutemppu vs ASM Hockey (playoff race)
Group 5
Dynastia is leading quite clearly at the moment but Hokurit is trailing close behind. Arguably THE match of the regular season in the group - and probably in the entire division so far - is Dynastia vs Hokurit at the very last round of the regular season. Close to the playoff line the most interesting teams are the teams in positions 5-12. The point differences are very small and the last playoff spots will most likely be solidified in the very last games. Illumination, Handu Pumpulla, Night Shift Hockey and Bare Knuckles Hockey are the ones to watch going forward.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
Dynastia vs Hokurit (top spot on the table)
Illumination vs Handu Pumpulla (playoff race)
Illumination vs Bare Knuckles Hockey (playoff race)
Group 6
Group 6 is wide open and nearly all spots are open to contest. Therefore, many games are crucial towards the end of the season. It is very probable that all the positions in 1-8 range will not be solidified until the very last rounds. One of the most important matches are Burning Goats games against Rogle BK and Helter Skelter since the results of those matches play a major role in determining the last playoff spots. Old Farts against Armada Hockey and Black Sharks are some of the games that will decide the group winner. Black sharks and Old Farts will also be battling for #1 between the two of them.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
Old Farts vs Armada Hockey (top spot on the table)
Rogle BK vs Helter Skelter (playoff race)
Helter Skelter vs Burning Goats (playoff race)
Old Farts vs Black Sharks (top spot on the table)
Rogle BK vs Burning Goats (playoff race)
Group 7
Arguably the most notable race for the top spot is between Spirit and Tequila Sunrise who have matches to play against each other. TuTo Esports are finding themselves in the playoff race although they would have the potential to fight for the top spot. Their games against Syndrome and Sjukstugan will be tremendously important in deciding where they end up in the group. GIFU Hockey is another contender for winning the group and is currently in second place based on point average.
Some upcoming matchups to watch:
TuTo Esports vs Syndrome (playoff-race)
Spirit vs Tequila Sunrise (title-battle)
TuTo Esports vs Sjukstugan (playoff-race)
Sjukstugan vs EISFORCE HOCKEY (playoff-race)
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