ECL '23 Winter Pro: Playoffs Round 2 Preview

SportsGamers,

The first round of the ECL '23 Winter Pro Playoffs is now in the books, and we're quickly pushing on to the Quarterfinals already! After some hard fought battles, we're now left with eight of the best teams left, and as you'll have it, most of them ended up being from Group 1, with Nemesis being the only Group 2 team to push on from their first round series. At this point, all teams have secured a part of the prize pool, but now it's time to go for the title and increasing that cash prize!

Schedule

• RO16: 19.-24.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023
• Semifinals: 2.-7.2.2023
• Finals: 12.-14.2.2023

A big thank you to @ripKeisari for collaborating on this preview. 

(1)  Be a Bro vs (8)  Tohtorit

Be a Bro are on something of a title run, as they continued their great form from the regular season. The Bro's made easy work of Björklöven Esports with a first round sweep and @Svone10  in net was one of their key players, letting in only four goals throughout the series and posting a SV% of 90,91. Tohtorit experienced a minor setback when losing game 1 against Renascor, but quickly got their bearings straight and turned the series around with four straight wins. Keep an eye on @Ristimaki12 and @Harlowi-, who are both sitting at 12 points in their five games thus far and should continue their high production pace if they're able to figure out the tough Be a Bro defense. This series could very well be the tightest matchup in these Pro Quarterfinals, despite their seed, Tohtorit are a sneaky good team who could surprise anyone with a good team effort and splashes of individual skill.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 2-4 Tohtorit
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-3 Be a Bro
 

(2)  Golden Nights vs (7)  Leksands IF

Golden Nights were able to sweep the German powerhouse Deadly Phantoms with relative ease and the man behind the mask, @kkostiiii was in excellent form with two shutouts in the short series. It was evident throughout the series that Golden Nights were highly prepared for Playoff hockey and were extremely cautious to not spend any extra time in the penalty box, with only one penalty against in the series. Leksands IF, on the other hand had quite shootout in their series against IK Oskarshamn, with three games in the series seeing seven or more goals scored. The 4-1 series win is evidence of Leksand being a team that will be able to play any style they're required to, we know their ability to defend strictly, but they've now flexed their offensive muscles too. We're expecting this series to be significantly harder for both teams, and we'll certainly not be seeing too many above seven goal games. Keep an eye on the goalies with Kkostii in net for Golden Nights and @I-Lillebror-I in net for Leksand.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 4-3 Golden Nights
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-2 Golden Nights

(3)  Djurgården Hockey vs (6)  Nemesis

The first round series between Djurgården Hockey and Herlev Eagles was a very hard fought battle, from which DIF eventually emerged victorious. The sixth game took almost three full overtime periods until @lidman1 finally sealed the deal and sent Herlev packing. @Strumpan87 has been great for DIF and leads the team in scoring with his 7+9=16 in six games thus far, topping the tables together with Leksand's @Philip Deemus. Nemesis will be a tough opponent for the Swedes after quite easily disarming HanaaHC in the first round, seeing exceptional play from goaltender @Viltzup with his 86,27 SV% in the series. Nemesis showed impressive resilience in game 3 of against HanaaHC with a come-from-behind overtime victory from down 0-3 in the first period. Look for this series to feature high-skill individuals and once again, great goaltending on both ends of the ice. It'll be crucial for Nemesis to shut down Strumpan, otherwise the Swedish former Elite winger will wreak havoc on their defense.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 1-4 Nemesis
@jahajaha93's prediction: 2-4 Nemesis
 

(4)  Örebro Hockey vs (5)  RCTIC

Örebro dropped game 1 in the first round against Memento, but quickly turned the series around with dominant puck possession play and efficient finishing. They've got two excellent choices in net and could go with either @suitsukemestari or @benjamint737 in round two. Their opponent RCTIC played a six game series against VISU Gaming, in which @Limbe65 & @yrjoo were their key players, guaranteeing the win for the icy boys. We could end up seeing a series, where Örebro controls much of the play, but RCTIC looks to strike with a deadly counter-attack here and there. @Ricco can still improve a lot in net for RCTIC. 

@ripKeisari's prediction: Plays for Örebro Hockey
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-2 Örebro Hockey