ECL '24: Spring - Lite Playoffs: Round 2 - ECL

It's time to take a look at the second round in Lite of the ECL ‘24 Spring season, and oh boy do we have some juicy matchups!

Disclaimer, all of the predictions were made before any games played.

(1) Nordic Stars vs Refuse Too Lose (25)

With Nordic Stars absolutely destroying their round 1 opponent Hirvikolari, there was no doubt who is the current favorite to win the championship, with 32 goals scored in 4 games we do not need to debate that any further. On the other hand, Refuse Too Lose had a tighter battle with better-seeded Vitosvitja, closing out the series in a thrilling game 6 overtime win.

Nordic Stars are heavy favorites as one can imagine, like all teams they have their weaknesses and it’s for this Refuse Too Lose team to figure it out, one could point out that Nordic Stars did have trouble keeping the puck out of their net in their round 1 win, with goalie @SakkeTheEngineer boasting a 2.5 GAA in 4 games, the question here is can Refuse Too Lose stop @Vire30 and @Jerax13 from stacking the points even further, with both players raking in 21 points each so far.

Whilst scoring 21 goals in 6 games is not bad, Refuse To Lose needs to keep this up versus a much better team defensively than their last opponents, if @Loghi89 can keep this scoring touch throughout the series, they might have a chance.

Player to watch this series: @Jerax13

Predictions:

@hifk_FANI: 4-0 Nordic Stars

@Pensasmies: 4-1 Nordic Stars

@Juhaniz-: 4-0 Nordic Stars

@Pekedipeks: 4-0 Nordic Stars

(2) The Oldtimers vs Hopfensmoothie HC (24)

This series will be an interesting one to follow since both teams had very interesting first rounds. The Oldtimers had a tight game 7 series win in the first round and SSK Academy really put up a fight. Hopfensmoothie HC was an underdog coming into the first round at least seeding-wise, but they managed to do a reverse sweep of Nelos Kenttä. A reverse sweep is something that always helps a team perform in future rounds as it shows mental strength and also gives hope to the team even if they find themselves in a tight spot in future rounds. If Hopfensmoothie HC wants to win this series, their offense needs to step up and I am especially expecting @Original-SnuS to carry the team on his back.

Player to watch: @Original-SnuS

Predictions:

@Pensasmies: 2-4 Hopfensmoothie HC

@hifk_FANI: 4-2 The Oldtimers

@Juhaniz-: 4-2 Hopfensmoothie HC

@Pekedipeks: 4-3 Hopfensmoothie

(3) Zenegeim vs Schrute Farmerz (23)

Another series in which the better team swept their first-round opponent, Zenegeim taking down Hockeyholics in 4 games, was not as lopsided with 3 out of 4 games ending in a one-goal game. Schrute Farmerz need to capitalize on their chances in this series, because in these 4 games Zenegeim only conceded 4 goals, this shows that the defense of @Juhaniz- and @Saviinainen is no easy task for forwards, even if you do beat them they have an outstanding and experienced goalie in @Esko-etikka guarding the net.

With Schrute Farmerz coming in as a clear underdog, they really need to study the game of Zenegeim to have a chance, they have a new team, and surely a lot of excitement to be here and have a chance to play in the playoffs. Defense might be the way to go here, if their defense holds up and the games are tight, they can steal a few games but their goal scorer @I-Jeppe-I needs to have a golden touch to put in those few chances they will be able to create.

I had a chance to talk to the captain of Zenegeim @Juhaniz-, let's see what he had to say.

Have you prepared for the next round in any way?

"We talked after the first round, what went well and if something needs to be changed "

What do you know about your opponent?

"Not much new team but we do recognize some of the players."

What will be the difference maker in this series?

"This is always a hard question… It'll depend on who can read the game better and react to the opponent's playbook better. "

Player to watch this series: @rakkauspakkaus-

Predictions:

@hifk_FANI: 4-0 Zenegeim

@Pensasmies: 4-0 Zenegeim

@Pekedipeks: 4-0 Zenegeim

(4) Mights vs Ruuti (21)

This series is one that can go both ways despite the seeding, with Ruuti a great series win over Carpe Diem and Mights barely getting through the first round it has surely woke the team up and reminded them of not underestimating these lower-seeded teams. Ruuti plays a really high-paced game and Mights plays a very patient playstyle that always includes that one extra pass to trick the defense. At the end of the day this series will come down to which team is more adaptable in their play. I'm expecting @Saloust77 to make some noise in the offensive zone from Mights and from Ruuti I'm expecting more balanced point production which can also be one of the deal breakers in this series.

Player to watch: @Saloust77

Predictions

@hifk_FANI: 4-1 Mights

@Juhaniz-: 4-3 Mights

@Pensasmies: 4-3 Ruuti

@Pekedipeks: 4-3 Mights

(5) BushWhackers vs Seinäjoki Noms (20)

Firstly, let's have a look at these teams in round 1: While BushWhackers got a confident win with a gentlemanly sweep after only a game 1 loss, Seinäjoki Noms had to battle until the last moment with a sweaty game 7 overtime win. So far in playoffs BushWhackers goalie @HiBaZiBa- has been as awesome as previously in the regular season. He has an enormous 6-0-1 record with 90.91 SV%, 0.86 goals against average (#1 in playoffs) and 4 shutouts (Tied-#1 in playoffs). I would say this guy would not be far from it if we had a Goalie of Season award in lower divisions too! Assistant captain @hifk_FANI is the most experienced player of the lineup and you can definitely see that on purely scoring sheet with 7G+10A=17P but also watching their games noticing often him being the brains of offensive plays. But the other guy with an A on his chest @LeiskaViis7 has stepped up significantly and is currently #1 in defensemen playoffs points with 2G+10A=12P. All regular season long and in playoffs so far @Simbee434 has been the top-scorer of Seinäjoki Noms. Besides him, the big point in their gameplay is that their powerplay has been good and creative so far. If BushWhackers stay disciplined and Seinäjoki Noms can't build more weapons than their powerplay, this series will be a sweep.

Predictions:

@Pekedipeks: 4-0 BushWhackers

@Juhaniz-: 4-1 BushWhackers

(6) Sawolanche vs xBOTS (19)

This matchup will be a very interesting one to follow as the xBOTS roster holds many big names from the HUT community. In my books, this series comes down to how well xBOTS manages to transfer individual talent into team play. Their attack at best can have most teams in Lite on their knees. Both teams have the nerves to win tight games as they both won a game 7 in the first round and personally, I really hope this series goes into 7 games so we can see which team has the nerves of iron.

I had the chance to interview the captain of xBOTS so let's hear him out.

What do you expect from the upcoming matchup?

“I am expecting a broadly similar series to what we had in round 1 against Belissimo. As a team Sawolanche is not too familiar for us, so adapting to their play style will be key. In round 1 we made a drastic tactical decision after going down 2-0 in the series - we don't want to be in the same situation again, so we will try our best to counter whatever it is that Sawolanche is going for offensively.”

What did you learn from the first round?

“The first round was of course important for us gameplay-wise. But more importantly, this was absolutely MASSIVE for our team to relieve the pressure of making it through the first round. xBots in its history has played in 3 post-seasons, without making it past the first round - until now. This should help us to loosen up our grip on the controller - improving our gameplay. “

How will you prepare for the upcoming matchup?

“To prepare ourselves for the upcoming battle, we have mostly tried to focus on our own way of playing. We have the capability to adapt our defense to match the offense of our opponents. We have a lot of discussions about how we want to play the game, how we want each other to move on the ice, and things of that nature. Being on the same page about the way we play is super important to us, and we are constantly improving on that.”

Predictions:

@Pensasmies : 4-3 xBOTS

@hifk_FANI: 4-0 xBOTS

@Juhaniz-: 4-2 xBOTS

@Pekedipeks: 4-3 xBOTS

(7) Modo Hockey vs Pata Hellalla (18)

After many nights, and many days, MoDo finally played their last games of the first round, and it was a close one going to game 6 where MoDo drew the longer straw. This will for sure be a tight series with Pata Hellalla having the edge in experience, at least @Patadevils has a game or two under his belt, and maybe even the edge when it comes to offense. It's always nice to have forwards with the same amount of points and that's what we got here, can anybody stand out? Or will they rely on a solid team game to take out MoDo? MoDo plays tight defense which can cause trouble for their opponents, with 3 of their 4 wins being shutouts, this will surely be the story of this series. With a team defense like this comes great defenders, with their lineup not being the same so far, we will see who they scratch for the first games. Maybe @Sebbanejad or @I-Sjogren-I who both went without a point in three straight playoff games.

Player to watch this series: @tilsuu

Predictions:

Hifk_fani: 4-2 Pata Hellalla

Pensasmies: 4-2 Modo

Juhaniz: 4-2 Pata Hellalla

Pekedipeks 4-0 Modo

(11) DEG eSports vs Technical Disaster (16)

With interesting playoffs this year, these two teams are currently the closest two seeds in these Lite playoffs, with both teams overcoming their opponents in the first round they both have a difficult obstacle. Since both teams are quite even, this series will be decided by the team with more creativity, goaltending, and nerves.

DEG eSports is not a new team by any means with 672 games played across all SportsGamer tournaments, their biggest weapon will definitely be their defense, conceding a mere 6 goals in 5 games, and their goalie @Meazza1704 rocking an 89,47% save percentage is no joke, with the recent connection issues arising these past weeks, will we see a significant change in either team's playbook?

Technical Disaster's first-round series can be seen as a tight one, with all games being close, this will be a big test for this team to see if they can get past the 2nd round. With offense not quite being at the level they can be, this will be a difficult one, good defense vs a shaky offense? @Tecena needs to take his game to the next level once again, with only 5p (2+3) and a disappointing 39,2% faceoff percentage.