What's up, gamers?
Do you know that feeling when you have missed something you used to do some time ago, but for certain reasons you haven't been doing that thing for a long time. It can be writing articles for NHLGamer, it can be some old hobby, listening to some childhood favourite band or you know - playing virtual hockey on the very highest level in ECL Elite. I happen to know a few guys who can certainly agree with me on this one. I used to be one of them for a long, long time. Can you guess who I'm talking about?
SIKA - one of the oldest competitive EASHL teams in Europe is back in ECL Elite! Very few teams can say that they've been out there for almost 10 years, but SIKA is truly one of those teams. Obviously their roster has changed during that long 10-year road but hey - how many teams actually manage to keep their core players and team itself together for that long? They've seen lots of ups and downs, different players, friends and brothers, leagues and tournaments during that long road. Personally, I can say that it takes a lot from you. It was like a family, and to be honest, it still feels like one. *Wiping a tear* In ECL6, SIKA played in the Pro division. Their regular season was solid as they finished with a record of 22-6-1. Arctic was SIKA's first round opponent in a series that SIKA managed to win in six games. In Round 2 they lost a thrilling 7-game battle to White Trash where the winner was decided in overtime after SIKA failed to convert their two powerplays before conceding the season ending goal in double overtime. However, anything can happen in life and due to some off-season transfers and teams disbanding, SIKA managed to find a backdoor entrance to Elite.
IN
Rankaisija <-- Old Farts
MrNipsuli <-- Free Agents
OUT
imosi1 --> Break from NHL
vSilenttio --> Symphony
Current Roster:
Forwards
yrjoo (A) @yrjoo
Albatrooss @Albatross
Naikou88 @Naikou88
Defensemen
MCH_98 (A) @MCH_98
MrNipsuli- @MrNipsuli
Rankaisija_ @Ranksu
Goaltenders
SpiderRoyal (C) @SpiderRoyal
RingDaKing30 @Ylijumala
Alright, lets get to business. I had the honor of interviewing my long time friend and former teammate - the man, the myth, the old but gold in its true meaning: @SpiderRoyal
Shall we start with an easy one - how are you and the lads? What does SIKA think about the new NHL-game?
Me and the lads are doing just fine, thanks for asking! Ready to go after a nice warm summer, quality time with our families and a needed break from the hockey scene.
We all purchased the pre-order version of the new NHL 19, so we've been grinding the new game from day one and we like the game a lot. Not sure about the new patch, but more games are needed before jumping to conclusions. The game feels fresh, for me at least. Can't wait for the new season to begin!
It's been over a year now since SIKA was last seen in ECL Elite. What kind of thoughts does the comeback bring to you personally? Is it time for some changes in the schedules and work ethic maybe?
Yes, finally SIKA is back! SIKA in my opinion is an Elite team and finally we're back where we belong. Still I'm haunted by the fact that we got relegated after a season of many disasters, and even more shocked that we couldn't get back up to Elite, as we're always shooting ourselves in the foot in the playoffs. Getting promoted isn't easy even if you have a very solid team.
For me personally getting back to Elite is a huge boost, not that I wouldn't be motivated playing in Pro, but playing in the Elite this upcoming season brings an extra flavor to the dish! As the founder of SIKA I'm in it for the ups and the downs. Being on the bright side of things this time makes me very happy and hungry for success.
Schedule wise of course we have to play even more and prioritize that 6's is the #1 game mode for us if we want to gain success. Less HUT and FUT, that's for sure 
We all have pretty similar schedules as to when we can play, so that won't be an issue. The work ethic definitely needs to be stepped up a notch. We are discussing learning our style, studying opponents, how to play in different situations, minimizing the differential between the good day and the bad days...all that comes with when you take a step up in the work ethic aspect of the game.
SIKA has seen a lot during the recent years so obviously terms, such as "rebuilding" or "re-tooling" are not new for you. With dozens of seasons and offseasons behind, how did the team do this time around - could you tell me about how well you accomplished your goals set this offseason?
The terms "rebuilding" and "re-tooling" aren't new to us at all. That might very well be the reason we fell off our course for the past 2-3 seasons. Too many new faces who weren't loyal after all and not having that solid #1 lineup to go with. The offseason started with a couple of bangs! vSilenttio, our captain and GM, went to play with Symphony. imosi1 retired. So you could say that we were in a little bit of a shock at the beginning of the offseason. Losing two of our full breed SIKA's was a pity, but we understood why they left. Saying that, losing two of our brothers might be actually the best thing that could have happened to us. We all stepped up a lot, everyone got more involved in team matters and the atmosphere is more united and relaxed than maybe ever before. Everyone has their own role now and the workload is spread very evenly. We're all a part of rejuvenating SIKA.
Two new signings needed to be done after vSilenttio and imosi1 left. Rankaisija and MrNipsuli- came to the rescue. Rankaisija being a highly skilled veteran defender, "a leader" if you will and MrNipsuli- being something of a "gods gift". Especially MrNipsuli- has surprised us all, not often you find an Elite defender from the 1vs1-scene lingering around among the free agents. I'd also like to shoutout MCH_98 for elevating his game to a totally new level! The growth of MCH_98 skill-wise after vSilenttio left the defense has been mindboggling. The forwards are now locked in their own positions and they get to play their own favorite position. Forwards: Albatrooss, Yrjoo and Naikou88 have all been in SIKA for a while now so they are no strangers to each other. Not forgetting the goalies: Me[insert old guy joke here] and RingDaKing30 sharing the playtime 50-50 and LOCKING UP! So to sum it up: Offseason went way better than expected
From there it's easy to jump to one of the most exciting subjects. ECL7, Elite division, it's license and the season in itself. What is SIKA planning to do in the next three months?
We aim to get better everyday and show everyone why I earlier stated that SIKA belongs to ECL Elite. SIKA has never been shy to show games to the viewers and we'll stream EASHL and ECL on a daily basis. Everyone can come see us grow as a team and see why we believe in ourselves so much!
The license for this upcoming season is huge! This is exactly what we as a community needed and SIKA supports it all the way.
Finally, the last burning question - will SIKA play in the ECL7 playoffs? And how do you see the other teams out there - what teams do you see as the biggest championship contenders?
Our minimum goal is the playoffs, our dream is to win it all! Why play if you don't believe in yourself?! Of course we are aware of the reality, but there is no reason we can't achieve the biggest price if everything clicks. Also I think almost any team in the Elite can win it all, if everything goes as planned. I'm hopeless optimist I know
Soooo many good teams in Elite, but if I had to say top-3 teams and I couldn't name ourselves, I'd say:
FILADELPHIA because of Eki "The Champ", PleeMaker (wrap-arounds me to death every year), Zande95... Are you kidding me?!
Written in the Stars: Favorite status every year. Now with Dominointi and Hansu... Lord have mercy!
Dynasty: Gets better every year!
Thanks for your time, SpiderRoyal. Good luck for the upcoming season!
Unfortunately we received some sad news coming from the Monarchs camp last night - Monarchs will not be participating in ECL 7, as the team will be folding. Some of the Monarchs players will transfer to Sjukstugan and represent them in ECL 7. More news regarding this once Sjukstugan is up! In tomorrow's ECL Elite 16 in 16, we will be looking at another team that made a rapid climb through the divisional ladder.
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