SportsGamers,
It's time to get the Playoff summer started also in the Lite division and a total of 32 teams have made the cut for the most important games of the season! We've still got lots of virtual hockey left to play before a Champion is crowned and at this point, none of the previous performances mean a thing - only the form on any given gameday will decide.
In this Playoff preview we'll be taking a look at a few interesting series that we expect could end up being quite close, and highlight a lot of interesting statistical anomalies and facts from the regular season, join us for the ride!
LainaaECL '23 Spring Lite Schedule
Registration period: 18.3.-13.4.2023Regular Season: 25.4.-24.5.- RO32: 30.5.-4.6.
- RO16: 6.-11.6.
- Quarterfinals: 13.-18.6.
- Semifinals: 20.-25.6.
- Finals: 27.-29.6.
To see all of the RO32 series, head over to the League page!
Dark Wild _20230510-112115.png)
(4) vs HC Lugano eSports 
(19)
Dark Wild have earned their #4 seed by playing a very well balanced game throughout the regular season and winning tight games at a high rate. They don't play a flashy game, but are able to do what it takes to close out any game. Quite interestingly, they are the worst powerplay team in the Playoffs with a low 12,9% success rate on the man advantage. Most of Dark Wild's play runs through winger @Juhaniz-, who is also the teams leading scorer. He likes to backskate.
Don't discount HC Lugano despite their lower seed, the fact is that they have one of the stronger forward cores in the division, consisting of former Elite players @Krinke & @Freeman7187 and the very skilled @DangledYouOut (TIUINIA). Krinke is the teams most important player as the play driver, but in general Lugano is expected to play a bit more of a fast paced game in comparison to their opponents. Lugano aren't quite as sound defensively, which could end up being their demise.
Prediction: Dark Wild in 6.
Ultimatum 
(7) vs Lions Academy 
(26)
We can expect a surprisingly tight battle here between the 7th seed and the 26th seed. While Ultimatum are one of the strongest offensive teams in the league and will rely heavily on @vepdsssss (Werppi) and @tirbbi to continue their explosive production in the Playoffs, they can’t expect to be running through Lions Academy all that easily. The Academy team of the Swiss Elite squad ZSC Esports have several experienced players in their ranks and they excel at keeping games tight, which is evidenced by the fact that a third of their games in the regular season required overtime to be decided. In the regular season these teams clashed in a double-header in which ultimatum came away with four points and left Lions Academy with only one.
Prediction: Ultimatum in 6.
Cheeky Grinders 
(10) vs Chiefzz HC 
(23)
The ECL ‘23 Spring Winter Champions Cheeky Grinders were expected to be able to make an impact in the Lite division right away, and that’s exactly what they did. They are an exciting squad to follow and if they can keep on grinding - according to their name - they could end up making another jump to the Pro division sooner rather than later. Before even thinking about that, they’ll need to go through Chiefzz HC, who very well could have the most experienced roster in the division, both in terms of ECL seasons under their belts and in terms of average age in their team - perhaps an advantage in those decisive Playoff moments?
Prediction: Cheeky Grinders in 7.
Nurnberg IceTigers eSport 
(13) vs Armada Hockey 
(20)
The IceTigers are a team that has emerged seemingly out of nowhere and really put themselves on the map as a solid contender in the Lite division this season. Some high profile offseason acquisitions in the form of Akin and Komir90 bolstered the core that has played together for a long time already and the team seems to have grown nicely over the course of the season. The IceTigers are excellent offensively, but need to tighten up on defense in the Playoffs. Armada Hockey, on the other hand have made a habit out of making the Playoffs as a lower seed and taking down a few strong teams from an underdog position. This squad is highly experienced and very tough to beat in tight scoring games. Armada has a deep roster with a very balanced playstyle, they pose a threat from all areas of the ice at their very best.
Prediction: IceTigers in 6.
xBOTS 
(15) vs Sodertalje SK 
(18)
We’ve hyped up the exciting roster of xBOTS already in the season preview, and as you’d have it, we get to do that again in this Playoff piece. As expected, young talent IOLL1 led the team in scoring in the regular season and received excellent backup from ONN1231853 and Kibeeex on his flanks. In addition, xBOTS also established themselves as an excellent defensive team, who are able to hang in there with the best in the division in tight battles, which is exactly what they’re in for against Södertälje SK. SSK is a team we’re used to seeing in the Playoffs and they’ve even managed to be a fringe Pro team at their best. Based on both teams’ defensive stats, we’re expecting to see a low scoring series in which goaltending could end up being the decisive factor. Statistically, both DanDan919413 and Kussan82 have played very similar seasons, so that’s going to be an interesting battle to follow!
Prediction: Sodertalje SK in 6.
Interesting stats or anomalies from the regular season:
- Mustaa Kultaa is miles ahead of their competition in terms of firepower up front, evidence in the form of a stunning 4,4 GF/GP and winger @Allupekkaz winning the scoring title with 95 points
- Skelleftea AIK are the best defensive team in the Playoffs. Goaltender @Jonte05_ had a stunning regular season, but he is inexperienced - can he keep it together when the games get sweaty?
- Hc Replay has the best special teams number with an impressive 124,02%
- @Zaedon led the league in shorthanded goals with 4! for Chiefzz HC
- The biggest puck hog in the Lite division is @sir_sniper for PunaKala with 175:31 TwP, a staggering 60 minutes more than his teammate @Unknownlehtis
- Most breakaways allowed - Dragons Gaming with 16 recorded defensive lapses thru 30 games in total
- @I_Manu93_I was a honey badger for Sawolanche with 224 interceptions in the regular season
- @wrlster for Technical Disaster is the most likely to shoot, with 157 shots in the regular season, that’s over 6 shots per game
- Group 1 ended up being the tightest in terms of deciding the last Playoff spot - RoKi Esports and Stadin Kingit had to go to tiebreakers in order to split the difference, and eventually RoKi earned the last spot by goal differential.
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