...And then there were only 4!
Fellow hockey fans, the Core division Semifinal pairs have been decided and now we are ready to find out the Finalists of the very first ECL Core season. First of all, I want to say thanks to all of the teams that participated in the ECL 12 Core season. It has been a pleasure to see how many teams this division had, and that made it interesting to watch throughout the season. This preview includes four of the best teams in this division, and I'm extremely excited to see how these matchups finish.
The Quarterfinals of the ECL 12 Core Playoffs are to be played between Tuesday, July 6th and Sunday, July 11th.
Here's the full ECL 12 Core playoff schedule:
Quote10.6.4 ECL Core Playoff Schedule
Playoffs Round 1: 6.6 – 10.6 (BO7)Playoffs Round 2: 13.6 – 17.6 (BO7)Playoffs Round 3: 20.6 – 23.6 (BO7)Quarterfinals: 29.6 – 4.7 (BO7)- Semifinals: 6.7 – 11.7 (BO7)
- Finals: 16.7 – 17.7 (BO7)
TOP 4 Teams
(1) 
STARGAZING
(2) 
Stone Age
(9) 
Tohtorit
(16) 
Resurrection
Let's start the preview by looking these teams in general.
Starting home Teams
STARGAZING and STONE AGE have both been in a dominant mode all season long, and both of them had a number 1 seed in their groups after the regular season. The firepower of these teams has been really good, and they've had an easy job protecting the net for their team (SGZ:26GP - 1.46 GAA, AGE: 28GP - 1.5G AA in the regular season). We can assume that their defenses are pretty organized in the semi’s also, and scoring against these teams is going to be hard.
Key points for home teams
It's hard to find any kind of achilles' heel for STARGAZING, I mean at least when u look at the stats. Stargazing have performed almost flawlessly throughout the playoffs, and will of course be one of the favorites to raise the cup at the end of the season. The main factor of their game is the two-way playing style. This team can score through their wingers and center, but also defenders participate in the offensive plays very actively and that also goes for the forwards participating on defence really well. In the defensive end, they have @Emppa988 (6+16 in 17 games), who is one of the top scoring defensemen in the playoffs, and should be a marked man for the opponent.
STONE AGE on the other hand, have had some troubles in the playoffs and there are couple of things that worries me. This team has had troubles with keeping their performance up. From time to time there are difficulties to perform against seemingly easier opponents, for example their last two opponents in the playoffs (Team Rocket & hc marko). This is the time for this team to find their best performance especially from the teams leading characters @anttiko10, @Maexsa and @Liukq.
Starting away Teams
TOHTORIT and RESURRECTION both are their own groups #2 seeds and are on rather solid runs this season so far. Both of them eliminated each others groups #1 seed in the quarterfinals (Arkham Asylum lost to Tohtorit 2-4 and Pasilan SKA lost Resurrection 0-4), so well deserved Semifinal spots all around. These teams also have pretty good defensive stats, and it will not be a walk in the park for the home teams in their first games of the semi’s.
Key points for away teams
TOHTORIT is a talented and skilful team. This team’s performance lies on their offensive line @Ojala16, @Linkku60 and @Ristimaki12 and their ability to score, with @johtaja_lebi creating plays on defence. You can’t be underestimating this team at all, or they will surely put the puck in the net more than twice per game. over their last 3 games against Arkham Asylum, they only allowed three goals behind @Stammer70, so good luck for breaking that defense.
RESURRECTION Finished second in their group before the playoffs and they have managed to keep the flow going on. Their influence this season was the acquisition of the two-headed monster @tkantola and @Xkeineri. This duo have had an impressive influence on the team, but you also can't forget the third wheel of their offense - @Teemu97 was called upon in the second round of playoffs and quickly filled his spot, gaining the trust of his team and diversifying options for the squad. Defensively the team is very solid and balanced, but there is still room to improve especially in net for experienced netminder @Jiihooo86.
Predictions
(1) STARGAZING vs Resurrection (16)
Resurrection wins 2-4*
Tohtorit wins 2-4
*Note: Writer plays for Resurrection and is probably biased.
Recommended Comments
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.