ECL 9 Elite Playoffs: Semifinals

NHLGamers,

Holiday season is slowly blowing over and that means we’ll be getting back to work both in the sense of our daily lives and in the ECL, where the hoisting of the trophy is closing in on us day by day. At this point, we’ve weeded out all but four teams, who have fought hard to earn their spot in the semifinals, but will need to go that extra mile in order to secure a spot at the final event and a chance for the biggest share of the 5 000 € prize pool.

Here's how the playoffs of ECL 9 Elite will be played from now on:

Semifinals: 30.12 - 5.1
Finals: 11.1 (To be confirmed)

All series are played in best-of-7 manner, meaning that the first team to amass four victories advances to the next round.

Let's get on with the previews, thanks to @Faydas for handling player interviews.

(1) Linkoping HC vs Lulea Hockey (5)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
27-2-1 vs 16-11-3

TOP SCORER
@Eki (32+52=84) vs @hpkfani (23+14=37)

GOALTENDER
@ICappeI (26GP, 23W, 83.06SV%, 1.23GAA, 7SO) vs @Supreex (30GP, 16W, 80.96SV%, 2.23GAA, 4SO)

We almost had a scare in round 1 as Linkoping didn’t run over Symphony as expected, but the underdogs more than held their own, keeping the games very close from start to finish. The Symphony joy was cut short quickly after LHC managed to get their bearings straight and rolled on to a 4-2 series win. On the other hand, Lulea didn’t have an easy first round either. Having played a mid-table matchup against Roots, they have surely been battle tested and meeting such a tough opponent might have been just what they needed heading into their biggest challenge yet in this semifinal matchup against Linkoping.

In the regular season head-to-head, Linkoping pulled the longer straw of these two by securing a W in both games. The first ended 1-0 in OT with @jtorro1233 being the lone scorer whereas the second game saw a bit more offense in the form of a 5-2 LHC win.

@Eki and @ICappeI from Linkoping chime in on their feelings about getting back to playing and some thoughts on the other matchup:

"Excited to continue the playoffs after a little Christmas break and of course play against another eSHL team in Lulea. Lulea is a group of really experienced guys and their team is familiar to us. I'm really confident in our team though and I'm expecting a step up from Round 1. Can't wait to get the games started and play for the spot in the Final!" - @Eki "

"HAVU are the favourites to win. Since @Buantso joined them they have won everything. He's the difference maker in their team and I'm sure he'll find a way to help his team to the finals. We also have to remember that HAVU have struggled a lot against Butterfly both in the regular season and in IS Cup 4. I know that @jergelii is hungry for success and I hope that the rest of his team is as hungry for it as him. It's going to be a great battle to watch." - @ICappeI

Lulea defenseman @The_Alpha_Furyan on their upcoming matchup:

"Well, it is no secret we're going in as the underdog. The top three teams during the regular season (Linköping, Havu, Butterfly) kind of separated themselves from the pack during the season and proved themselves by also advancing to the semifinals, so for all intents and purposes we are definitely "the 4th team" among these four squads. That said, we feel like we can compete with anyone on our best day. We just have to make sure we have multiple "best days" during this series. If we are going to win it's going to have to be a team effort every step of the way. Communication between forwards, defenders and goaltender will need to be active and accurate, and we will need to minimize mistakes and maintain proper positioning. @Eki, @Juunas and @PleeMaker is arguably the best forward line in the world right now so as a defender you definitely get fired up to take on that challenge."

(2) HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect (3)

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
26-2-2 vs 24-4-2

TOP SCORER
@FlyerKungen (36+25=61) vs @NikkeDangles (26+44=70)

GOALTENDER
@Hansulinho (16GP, 15W, 92.62SV%, 0.56GAA, 9SO) vs @sibeelius (24GP, 20W, 82.37SV%, 1.91GAA, 5SO)

HAVU Gaming has been one of the most consistent performers for such a long time already, seemingly racking up championships on end. These two rivals have ran into each other at various points of their three last tournaments (Spring League, FCL and IS Cup 4). All three encounters have ended in a HAVU victory, but the most recent one at GameXpo (the IS Cup 4 semifinals) was a close one, where Butterfly Effect were buzzing and ended up just one converted breakaway chance short of stealing the series in a game seven. With that being said, this one is turning into a real classic rivalry and we should be in for a good one.

Butterfly Effect actually won both regular season games between these two, putting the competitive record in NHL 20 between these two clubs at 5-4 (including IS Cup 4 semifinals) in favour of FLY.

HAVU Gaming captain @FlyerKungen on their upcoming matchup and previous clashes against Butterfly Effect:

"My thoughts are kind of the same as before the FCL and IS Cup semifinals when we faced them earlier. They are group of skilled guys and we need to be in top form if we want to beat them. Butterfly has only become a tougher opponent tournament by tournament which means we need to improve our game also. We can't expect to beat them in the playoffs if we only play at our base level, time to elevate that. In my experience, regular season games never play a big role in the playoffs. The game is so different in the playoffs, in the regular season you only practice and hopefully you learn from your mistakes so you are ready to compete in the playoffs. The only thing I believe can matter mentally at this point are the previous Playoff series we have played against Butterfly."

@jergelii from Butterfly Effect had some comments on how they are going to beat HAVU and why their team is the one to watch going forward:

"Of course our regular season wins will play a big role for us. We have struggled against HAVU but last IS Cup semifinals and those regular season games give us more confidence and now we really know we can in fact beat them. We are going to be champs because our playing style is so different compared to other teams, we have lot of ways to score goals and a tight defence with a great goalie."

Today is the first game day of the semifinals and we are as excited about it as you guys are! Stay tuned for stream announcements on our social media channels.

Who do you think will win and advance to the finals?