ECL '23 Spring Pro: Semifinals Preview

SportsGamers,

As the month of June is rolling on and the sun is slowly starting to find even us up North, the time has come to start with the Semifinals of the Pro division already! We're down to the top four teams in the division, and to be fair any one of these contenders could end up taking the title. At this point, the games will be decided by the smallest of margins, so keep your eyes peeled throughout the round not to miss a second of the action!

Lainaa

ECL '23 Spring Pro Schedule

• Registration period: 18.3.-13.4.2023
• Regular Season: 24.4.-25.5.
• RO16: 29.5.-1.6.
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.6.
• Semifinals: 12.-15.6.
• Finals: 19.-22.6.

Luleå Hockey  (1) vs Polski Boys  (5)

This could be an interesting battle between the former ECL Twitter meme princes and the new annoying little brothers, who want to play with the big boys now! While Luleå Hockey (the former POGGERS) have cleaned up their social media game, it seems like their farm team Masin Maansiirto eSports had their account hijacked by some Polish farmers. Polski Boys obviously didn't let this slide and called the big squad out to play, but it seems like we'll have to wait until the action gets going tonight to watch any of it unfold. 

In terms of what will happen on the ice, Luleå Hockey definitely are the more well versed team that can pose a threat from a variety of situations in comparison to Polski Boys, who have been a bit of a one-trick pony this season. @Migo_boo and @vote_10 respectively will be the guys carrying the puck and being responsible for the breakouts, and @JaKurrii & @xSaski_ will be at the other end, potting pucks in from the back post. As stated, Luleå's offense will consist more of a cycle game when given the opportunity, while Polski poys have been exploiting @punt1la98's cross-crease force to Saski all season long with evidently tremendous success. Luleå Hockey also like to throw pucks at the net more, evident by the 15 deflections for JaKurrii thus far in the Playoffs.

These two teams have never played each other in a competitive setting before, so it'll definitely be an exciting series to watch and the first games should set the tones for what's to come in the rest of the series. The experience and chemistry Luleå has built over years of playing together shouldn't be understated in a situation like this, but on the other hand, this team has a history of fluctuating in form - let's hope it doesn't happen in this one!

Luleå Hockey and Polski Boys will be starting action tonight at 20:00 CEST - http://twitch.tv/YleTV_Polski

Prediction: Luleå Hockey in 6.
 

Deadly Phantoms  (2) vs Golden Nights  (4)

The Deadly Phantoms have really caught fire these Playoffs and look highly intent to keep on going. The German outfit was called out by @ripKeisari last week for a weak social media game and they've since upped their banter, highlighting an impressive snippet of ECL Pro Playoffs info - Ever since ECL 7, the Phantoms have always made the Finals if they've gotten past the first round in the Playoffs. Were not entirely sure that'll mean anything in this series, but nice to know nevertheless!



What is actually very interesting to me is the fact that the Phantoms have been able to advance to the Semifinals while playing rotating nine players in their roster in the Playoffs - take that, everyone whose opposed to playing their backups. @gzell60, @xXPsykoSkillsXx and @ProfaneKiss have been locks in the starting six, while everyone else has been in rotation for one reason or another. Regardless of who they end up putting on the ice, the Phantoms with their four forward formation will be a tough team to crack for Golden Nights.

While the Golden Nights have been considerably more quiet than their annoying little brother Polski Boys on social media, they found a way to fire back at Deadly Phantoms right off the bat. None of their current players have ever been on the losing side in a Playoff series against the Phantoms, which should make for an interesting story in this one, as their left defenseman @Mikka has never won a game in the ECL Pro Semifinals despite being a top player in the division on highly rated teams for years already. This season, the kid reigns supreme as an offensive defenseman and his squad is looking as strong as ever, but can they break that curse?

We're expecting Golden Nights to come out of the gates as the team looking to control the pace of the game, sticking with possession against the Germans. @Sagee95 will be the main man responsible for slowing down the counter attack spearheaded by @ProfaneKiss and his boys. In net, the statistical advantage goes to @RPH_31 and the Phantoms, but both goalies have been outstanding throughout the season and aren't known for letting soft ones slip through, so you can expect this one to go down to the wire as a battle of two different playstyles. 

Prediction: DPH in 7.