ECL '24: Spring - Elite Finals Deep Dive

 (1) Valokuitunen Esports vs (3) Tunnel Vision  

After outlasting 14 other teams in the deepest ECL Elite season in recent memory, just two sides remain to decide a champion Valokuitunen Esports and Tunnel Vision square off in the Finals for a second straight season and for the third time overall. However this season's matchup means little bit more than usual, as while Valokuitunen is hoping to continue to cement their place in ECL history with a record-setting fifth Elite championship, Tunnel Vision is looking to win its third title in the last four seasons, cementing their place as an official dynasty in European NHL esports, and doing so in what has been said to be viewed the team's "last dance" with this group.

So how did the teams get here? Who has performed? How do they matchup and what are the big storylines? We've got everything covered here that you need to know as we get ready for another exciting championship matchup. 
 

 Valokuitunen Esports

How They Got Here

• Regular Season: 20-2-2-6 (66pts) - 1st in Elite Division
• 4-3 series win vs (8) The Black Jacks
  • 3-2 OTW,  1-2 L,  4-1 W,  1-3 L,  1-0 W,  1-2 L,  3-1 W
• 4-1 series win vs (5) EXEN
  • 2-1 OTW,  2-0 W,  1-2 OTL,  4-1 W,  5-1 W

Season Summary

It's honestly not surprising to see Valokuitunen Esports back at this stage. After all, they are four-time Elite Division champions and the defending champions this season for a reason. They dominated the regular season and came into the playoffs as the overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions. However, Valokuitunen faced their first bit of adversity in the form of The Black Jacks, who pushed them to a full seven-game series during the quarterfinals. During this series, Valokuitunen looked out of sorts to their standard, making uncharacteristic mistakes and even at times letting their frustrations get the best of them during this series. You could argue that the group was lucky to get past this series, but you can't always win pretty in these playoffs and no opponent is an easy foe, and Valokuitunen did what they needed to do to get past the pesky eighth seed. In the semifinals, the orange and white looked like a different team. They controlled the possession game, forced EXEN out of their comfort zone, and dominated the game throughout most of the series, dropping just one game in the series, a 1-2 double-overtime loss in Game 3. This makes me believe that their performance against The Black Jacks was a mere blip; an outlier from a team that has put up masterful performances countless times over the past few years, now the question is whether they can repeat those successes against a hungry Tunnel Vision team that has tested them mightily over the years.

Projected Starting Lineup

• LW - Roope @pikkuroger Bergström - (11 GP, 17 PTS, 8 GOALS, 9 ASSISTS, 23.5% SHOOTING PERCENTAGE, 3 GWG)
• C - Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen - (12 GP, 14 PTS, 7 GOALS, 7 ASSISTS, 54.1% FACEOFF WIN PERCENTAGE)
• RW - Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen - (12GP, 17 PTS, 11 GOALS, 6 ASSISTS, 63 SHOTS)
• LD - Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen - (12GP, 12 PTS, 12 ASSISTS, 43 TAKEAWAYS, 88 INTERCEPTIONS)
• RD - Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila - (12 GP, 10 PTS, 10 ASSISTS, 66 HITS, 34 TAKEAWAYS, 18 BLOCKED SHOTS)
• G - Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes - (12 GP, 89.12% SAVE PERCENTAGE, 1.33 GAA, 147 SHOT FACED, 3 SHUTOUTS, 27 SHUTOUT PERIODS)

Notable Finals Storylines

• This is Valokuitunen's 6th ECL Elite Finals Appearance (They are 4-1 in Finals series' in the Elite Division)
   
• Defending ECL Elite Division champions, defeated Tunnel Vision in the Finals in 7 games last season
   
• A series victory would make it the first time that a team has won back-to-back championships multiple times
   
• A series victory will extend Valokuitunen's record for the all-time lead in ECL Elite Division championships (5). The next closest teams are Straikers and HAVU Gaming (3 each).

 Tunnel Vision

How They Got Here

• Regular Season: 15-3-5-7 (56pts) - 3rd in Elite Division
   
• 4-1 series win vs (6) Bjorkloven Esport
  • 1-0 W,  5-1 W,  3-2 W,  0-1 L,  5-2 W
     
• 4-3 series win vs (2) Straikers
  • 3-4 L,  4-3 OTW,  3-1 W,  3-5 L,  0-4 L,  2-1 W,  1-0 W

Season Summary

The peaks and valleys of Tunnel Vision's Spring campaign can be tracked all the way back to the beginning of the season. This team was quite simply not up to their standard during the regular season, as though they were still one of the best teams in the division offensively, their defensive play and goaltending took a significant step back. Not only this, but their 12 overall losses (7 in regulation and 5 in overtime) was their highest number since the ECL 12 season, where they lost 19 total games (14 in regulation and 5 in overtime) and missed the playoffs after an 11th place finish in the standings (I think people often forget how far this team has come over the last few years). Because of all of these things, there were genuine discussions about whether or not this team could make it back to the top as they came into the playoffs in below-average form and just simply didn't look like the dominant unit that the Elite division has come to know. But in the fashion of any true champion, Tunnel Vision hit its stride once playoff time came around. They took down a feisty but inexperienced Bjorkloven Esport team in the Quarterfinals and made a statement in doing so with their dominant play on both ends of the ice. This set up another classic matchup between them and Straikers in the semifinals. This series was pretty much the perfect encapsulation of what Tunnel Vision's season has been. Mired with inconsistency. Moments of brilliance, mixed with moments of question. Quite frankly, Tunnel Vision looked dead in the water after Game 5 of this series, but just like they did going into the playoffs, Tunnel Vision stepped up their game when they needed it most, stealing Games 6 and 7 to clinch their spot in the Finals. Tunnel Vision's championship hopes will depend on which version of the group will show up for each game. The team that has been mired by defensive woes in the regular season, or the high-octane team that has emerged as one of the best teams in the world in its dominant run over the past two years.

Projected Starting Lineup

LW - Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen - (12 GP, 22 PTS, 13 GOALS, 9 ASSISTS, 60 SHOTS, 0:00 PIMS)

C - Väinö @Pikkarii Pikkarainen - (12 GP, 16 PTS, 8 GOALS, 8 ASSISTS, 50.9% FACEOFF WIN PERCENTAGE)

RW - Arttu @Laiitinen Laitinen - (12GP, 22 PTS, 10 GOALS, 12 ASSISTS, 44 SHOTS)

LD - Tomi @tomboo- Laitinen - (12GP, 8 PTS, 8 ASSISTS, 61 HITS, 15 BLOCKED SHOTS, 97 INTERCEPTIONS)

RD - Veeti @wengerii Paloneva - (12 GP, 12 PTS, 2 GOALS, 10 ASSISTS, 36 TAKEAWAYS)

G - Ben @benuh_ Rinnet - (12 GP, 80.95% SAVE PERCENTAGE, 2.00 GAA, 126 SHOTS FACED, 2 SHUTOUTS, 23 SHUTOUT PERIODS)

Notable Finals Storylines

• Tunnel Vision are making their fifth-consecutive ECL Elite Division Finals appearance (2-2 in Finals series)
   
• Won back-to back ECL Elite Championship in ECL '23: Winter and Spring, including representing Europe in the 6v6 eHockey World Finals in 2023
   
• A title victory will give Tunnel Vision its third Elite Division title, this would also tie them with Straikers and HAVU Gaming for the second-most Elite Division championships in ECL history. This would also make them just one shy of Valokuitunen's current record of four Elite championships
   
• Tunnel Vision is 1-2 against Valokuitunen all-time in ECL playoff series. They are 0-2 in Finals series' against them

The Regular Season Series (both games were played on May 6)

 2-1 Tunnel Vision W 

Tunnel Vision Notable Stats: 

- @Vattuyy and @Laiitinen each had a goal in the 2nd period, both at even strength

- @benuh_ made 18 saves on 19 shots for Tunnel Vision, earning a 94.74% save percentage 

- Tunnel Vision's only goal allowed came on the penalty kill

- Three Tunnel Vision skaters (@tomboo-, @Laiitinen and @Vattuyy) were credited with six or more interceptions
 

Valokuitunen Notable Stats: 

- Valokuitunen outshot Tunnel Vision 19-13; and had 9:12 time on attack compared to Tunnel Vision's 7:35

- Valokuitunen's skaters combined for 34 giveaways, Tunnel Vision's combined for just 20

- @Beniittto scored Valokuitunen's lone goal in 3rd period

- @FINSeRe earned an 84.62% save percentage despite the loss, making 11 saves on 13 shots

 3-0 Valokuitunen Esports W

Valokuitunen Notable Stats: 

- @Beniittto scored the game-winning goal in the first period at 13:37

- @Beniittto (2 goals) and @pikkuroger (1 goal and 1 assist) were the only players who had at least a point in this game

- Valokuitunen's skaters combined for 45 giveaways, Tunnel Vision's skaters combined for 32

- @FINSeRe stopped all 10 shots that he faced. This win was one of 10 shutouts that he earned during the regular season, which led all Elite Division Goalies 

Tunnel Vision Notable Stats: 

- Tunnel Vision outshot Valokuitunen 10-8, and also had 10:16 of time on attack compared to Valokuitunen's 8:53

- This game was 1 of only 2 games in the regular season in which Tunnel Vision was shutout (2-0 L vs Straikers on May 15)

- Allowed two goals in the last 30 seconds of the game (at 59:44 and 59:53)

- @tomboo- registered 7 takeaways and 10 interceptions in this game

Stat of the Series: In each of their last three playoff meetings, the series was decided in a Game 7. Each Game 7 was decided by one goal, and two of the three were won in overtime.

Prediction

I promise that I don't mean to dramatize or overstate things, but this feels like one of the biggest Finals matchups that we have had in the Elite Division over the past few seasons. What makes this different? Well, history. Valokuitunen Esports are looking to cement their place as the top team in the history of the ECL, something that some could argue they have already done. However, by beating Tunnel Vision in another Finals series and earning a record-extending fifth Elite title, their spot as the top dogs in Elite history feels like it could be set in stone for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Tunnel Vision has epitomized what it means to climb the ranks of the ECL. They earned their way from the Pro Division into the Elite Division after winning a relegation series in ECL 11 against Deadly Phantoms (then known as Team LEISURE). They missed the playoffs in their first Elite season during ECL 12, but have made it to the postseason every season since, and have emerged as one of the top squads in Europe with two Elite Division trophies to back it up. However, times could soon be changing for this group, as there has been word around the community that the team is treating this playoff run as "the last dance". What this means for the future of the club is unknown to the public, but it seems like considerable changes could be coming for this team after this game cycle. This means that this is potentially Tunnel Vision's last chance to further cement their legacy and even more importantly, this could be the last chance to play on this stage with this same group, or at least for the time being. It's history book vs storybook, and only one can prevail in this series.

I think that Tunnel Vision has as good of a chance as anyone to beat this Valokuitunen side. They know what it takes to do it as they have done it before in the playoffs, and the motivation of wanting to end this era at the top of the ECL mountain will be something that you'd think can give them a good boost. However, the inconsistencies in their game this season leave me concerned, and though Valokuitunen did struggle against The Black Jacks in their quarterfinal series, that felt like more of an outlier than Tunnel Vision's struggles have. These two teams are as closely matched as it gets, so I have zero expectation of being right or wrong on this prediction. However, I think that consistency has to mean something, and Valokuitunen has been as consistent as it gets.

 Valokuitunen in 7

FOLLOW THE ECL ELITE PLAYOFFS LIVE

You can watch live coverage of EVERY GAME of the Elite Division playoffs on Twitch, YouTube and X

Tune in on Friday, June 14th at 20:00 CEST for games 1-3 and on Saturday, June 15th at 19:00 CEST for the rest of the best-of-7 series!

Who do you think will win each series? Are there any key points or factors that I may not have covered? Let me know in the comments!