ECL '23 Winter Pro: Semifinals Preview

SportsGamers,

Now with only four teams remaining in the Pro division we're down to the very best around. These teams will need only eight more wins to claim the trophy and gain direct promotion to the European top 16!

Schedule

• RO16: 19.-24.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023
• Semifinals: 5.-7.2.2023
• Finals: 12.-14.2.2023

(4)  Örebro Hockey vs (8)  Tohtorit

What a road both of these teams have had on their way to the Semifinals. Örebro looked like they could even have been on the way to the top seed at times, but took some time in finding their consistency. They have dispatched Memento in the first round, after which RCTIC put up a real good fight in the Quarterfinals, but the red and white prevailed. Örebro are have seen a good development throughout the season, as their main guy in the regular season was @Rimpe, who actually now sits at last in scoring within the team. This means that they've been able to find the second wave on a consistent basis when their top guy has been marked. Watch for @ripKeisari to finally open his scoring these Playoffs!

Tohtorit are a squad that have had somewhat of a turbulent season. The high-skill roster barely made the Playoffs in an exciting race for those final spots and while we'e even heard rumblings of the team calling it quits at some point, that hasn't been evident in any way on their actions on the ice. The 8th seed haven't made their road to this stage easy, but they'll certainly be warmed up for any challenge that Örebro might throw at them. As the stakes get higher, we are really seeing winger @Harlowi- come into his own and stepping up for his team. 

When these teams clashed in the regular season, both games were won by Örebro, in a 4-5 OT win and 1-0 win.

Prediction: 4-3, Örebro
 

(6)  Nemesis vs (7)  Leksands IF

Neither one of these teams have had an easy way through the Playoffs thus far. However, both have now taken down these rather excellent opponents in surprisingly easy manner. Nemesis came into the 2nd round off of a dominant showing against HanaaHC, after which they dismantled Djurgården Hockey in similar fashion. Leksands IF, on the other hand, have now taken down IK Oskarshamn and Golden Nights without any real issue and shown that they are able to play on both the counter-attack and in control of the game, whichever style the situation calls for. The offensive power that Leksands IF holds is unmatched in the Playoffs at the moment, as all three of their forwards slot into the top 5 in Playoff scoring. That is exactly why Nemesis will be relying on experienced goaltender @Viltzup to keep up his stellar play, maintaining his league leading save percentage. 

Prediction: 2-4, Leksands IF.