Hey NHLGamers,
ECL 7 was the biggest season for our community yet! That's both in terms of registered teams, players and the newly introduced price pool. Once again, we were treated to some incredibly exciting action as skillful teams and players went head-to-head in all three divisions. We'll be kicking off our look in the rearview mirror with this season review of ECL 7 Lite, which included a total of 73 teams divided into eight groups.
Group 1:
The eventual champions surely had a season to remember! This Swiss-based team went into their second ECL season with one goal in mind only: promotion. Their offensive trio of @Krinke-@Original-SnuS-@Freeman7187 was unstoppable and proved incredible dominance all season long as the fast-paced passing ice hockey seems to have been absolute poison to the opposing teams. With their promotion it'll be interesting to see if they'll be sticking together to continue on the same note in the Pro division. Arguably, their breakout game and defense will need to step up in order to compete on the next level.
The Black Jacks managed to string together a row of excellent performances all season long, seeding 3rd into the playoffs and being in the driver seat through most of their playoff matchups too. Their second round opponent Lehmannen Badboyz proved to be a difficult obstacle to overcome though, as the series went into game 7 and nail-biting overtime before captain @Original-SnuS sent the Badboyz packing. All in all, the performance put up by TBJ this season was nothing short of perfection, as they absolutely crushed the whole division and put forth a very convincing run to the championship.
Mentula SKA was a team that a bit surprisingly battled their way to a promotion spot. They're in their third season of ECL competition already without any mentionable prior success. However, this season was one to take note of. The team has managed to stick together for a few seasons and seemed to find some consistency this year. Also the acquisition of their top scorer and rookie @Meiccimoi seemed to have been a key factor in their success.
Group 2:
Newly established TnG was an interesting team all season due to their roster including lots and lots of 1vs1 talent and some young, potential players. Their talent seems to have translated well into 6vs6 play as the team managed to pave their way through to the finals, where they suffered a tough 4-2 series loss at the hands of The Black Jacks.
Rajatorpan Mafia put up a respectable fight this season, finishing 2nd in their group and going on until round 3 in the playoffs before being eliminated by Dubnation Gaming. The team has an extremely strong defensive game, showcased by their 0,94 GA/GP in the groupstage. Lack of firepower ended up being their demise in the playoffs.
Group 3:
We Kings consist of some veteran players who are making a very welcome comeback into the scene and being rather successful in doing so. The team went undefeated for a large part of the group stage, falling just short of a perfect run in the closing rounds. Captain @Hbnzo and everyone's favourite tactician @pelimies80 were the most important building blocks in the success of the team this season.
Newly formed SPARTANS had a strong showing in ECL 7, managing to pave their way into the quarter finals where they fell one win short against Supernatural. When watching this team, don't miss LD @Drunkendefender, who accounted for 1/4 of the teams total goals in the regular season and led his team in scoring in the playoffs. Talk about an offensive defenseman!
Group 4:
Swedish team Prowlers did good in the groupstage, but ended up falling short in a disappointing round 3 exit against the lower seeded Infinity. In fact, Prowlers were on fire offensively and managed to seed 6th into the playoffs while scoring a total of 71 goals. Their top scorer of the regular season was @RullAthor1991, who amassed 60 points in 18 games.
Farminaattori
Farminaattori is a new acquaintance for me, personally. The team is rumoured to play a fast paced hockey, the kind some might call straight up wild. Their game seemed to work out fine in the group stage, pushing them into the playoffs at 7th seed, a push which ended rather quick in the second round at the hands of community sweethearts Elämäm Kiekko.
Group 5:
Dubnation is a team full of young potential players. They don't play a flashy game, but it is effective in securing points. You could say they have a more mature playstyle than you'd expect from a new Lite team. Despite not scoring a tremendous amount of goals, the team managed to do very well throughout the season, which didn't end until the quarter finals when they came up against the eventual champions The Black Jacks.
The roster of K A R H U T include some veteran names such as @Ubula (RuttuBerse), the team was placed in an arguably easy group 5, which they handled very well, ultimately seeding into the playoffs at 23rd. Winger @Jii1984 led the team from the front all the way into the 3rd playoff round, where they were knocked out by Supernatural.
Group 6:
I think we can call Clowns On Ice a veteran team by now. They're a common sight on the ice and have managed to string together a few good seasons recently, making the playoffs of ECL Pro last season. However, the team lost captain @Tim_FlyersFan in the offseason and decided to step back a bit. They must feel rather dissappointed about the outcome though, as a convincing groupstage wasn't enough, they fell short in the playoffs against Supremacy in the 3rd round.
Poston Fruits
Led by veteran Lite player @Jobeyz, Poston Fruits were making their inaugural appearance in the ECL and did so on a successful note. Although being eliminated in the second round by SPARTANS must sting, we'll be hoping for a comeback in ECL 8.
Group 7:
Supernatural is a team consisting of several experienced players who haven't really managed to find a home for themselves in an established team. We were surely aware that this was a skilled group of guys, but I must say they put up a far better performance than I expected. The team seeded 8th into the playoffs and kept their level of play high in the playoffs, eventually faltering in the semifinals against The Next Gen.
Former Soldiers of Odens consists of some very skilled and potential players who seem to be playing the game rather casually. I know the skill level and potential is there to see some success in ECL games too and they started showing signs of that in ECL 7. Supremacy finished 3rd in their group, seeding 24th into the playoffs, but took their minor underdog status and ran with it all the way to the quarter-finals, where they didn't manage to surprise The Next Gen.
Group 8:
Hinkkaajat has been grinding it out in Lite for some seasons already, often having a decent group stage campaign but quickly running into trouble in the playoffs. This season showed some promise as they were able to win their first two playoff matchups, but ended up falling short against The Next Gen in round 3.
Finnish Snipers looked great in the groupstage and through the first round of the playoffs, as they dominated group 8 and seeded 2nd into the playoffs. Hockey Hooligans was no match in the first round but groupstage opponent Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat sent them home in round 2.
Under the radar:
Freddie Mercury Institute
FMI is a tough team to play due to their tight defensive trap, but they've had trouble converting in the offensive zone. This season they ended up in a quite tough group together with the likes of We Kings and SPARTANS, eventually finishing 3rd in the group and seeding into the playoffs at 13th. The team managed to make their way into the quarter finals, where they suffered a devastating loss against Mentula SKA.
AWARDS
Playoff MVP: @Original-SnuS
Most Points: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games
Most Goals: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games
Most Assists: @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games
Most Hits by a Forward: @Enerfity, Finnish Snipers, 142 Hits in 16 games
Best +/-: @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, +62 in 18 games
Most Points by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games
Most Goals by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games
Most Assist by a Defenseman: @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games
Most Hits by a Defenseman: @kenamo28, Outrageous Falcons, 92 Hits in 24 Games
TOP 3'S OF ECL 7 LITE
Top 3 Forwards Regular Season:
1. @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 53 Assists, 90 Points in 18 games
2. @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, 37 Goals, 36 Assists, 73 Points in 18 games
3. @Krinke , The Black Jacks, 27 Goals, 37 Assists, 64 Points in 14 games
Top 3 Defenders Regular Season:
1. @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 13 Goals, 25 Assists, 38 Points in 16 games
2. @Koppipelaaja, The Next Gen, 3 Goals, 25 Assists, 28 Points in 16 games
3. @pelimies80, We Kings, 5 Goals, 19 Assists, 24 Points in 14 games
Top 3 Goaltenders Regular Season:
1. @ramseyy2, The Next Gen, 16 Wins, 87,36%, 1,27 GAA, 5 SO in 18 games
2. @PeeloJombb, Mentula SKA, 15 Wins, 87,50%, 1,22 GAA, 4 SO in 18 games
3. @mythThor, Prowlers, 15 Wins, 86,34%, 1,55 GAA, 2 SO in 16 games
Top 3 Forwards Playoffs:
1. @Original-SnuS, The Black Jacks, 39 Goals, 48 Assists, 87 Points in 32 games
2. @Krinke, The Black Jacks, 42 Goals, 42 Assists, 84 Points in 32 games
3. @Freeman7187, The Black Jacks, 36 Goals, 39 Assists, 75 Points in 32 games
Top 3 Defender Playoffs:
1. @Drunkendefender, SPARTANS, 18 Goals, 31 Assists, 49 Points in 21 games
2. @Koppipelaaja, The Next Gen, 6 Goals, 21 Assists, 27 Points in 32 games
3. @burban26, The Black Jacks, 3 Goals, 22 Assists, 25 Points in 16 games
Top 3 Goaltenders Playoffs:
1. @ramseyy2, The Next Gen, 22 Wins, 89,78%, 1,50 GAA, 9 SO in 32 games
2. @PeeloJombb, Mentula SKA, 17 Wins, 83,68%, 1,70 GAA, 3 SO in 27 games
3. @afc_Tschitsch, The Black Jacks, 15 Wins, 84,91%, 1,94 GAA, 3 SO in 18 games
The controversial 'Top 6' of the season is making a comeback! What this means is a selection of six players in a starting lineup, that have showed exceptional skill and played a good season. Please note that all selections are subjective and they are made by community members who have been keeping an eye on ECL 7 Lite. Without further ado, here's the top 6 of our Lite division in ECL 7:
@Krinke (The Black Jacks) - @Original-SnuS (The Black Jacks) - @Freeman7187 (The Black Jacks)
@Drunkendefender (SPARTANS) - @Koppipelaaja (The Next Gen)
@ramseyy2 (The Next Gen)
The NHLGamer staff congratulates The Black Jacks for winning the Lite division and furthermore The Next Gen, Mentula SKA and Supernatural for their promotions to the Pro division.
We want to thank all participating teams for their efforts and hope you all enjoyed the season! If you have any suggestions on how we could improve our website, please let us know by contacting any staff member.
The recaps of our other divisions will be published soon, so keep your eyes peeled!
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.