hREDS Is Your ECL '22 Spring Elite Champion!

SportsGamers,

As we told you, this weekend was truly a celebration of hockey in all forms. It was also the end to a great ECL '22 Spring season and simultaneously our first ever two-part ECL season. We're proud to be able to make history in such great company and with that, we're crowning hREDS the ECL '22 Spring Champions and the ECL '22 Grand Champions! After two very strong seasons that we thought were dominant by the predators, they came back yet a level stronger and absolutely dismantled all opposition this season with excellent performances throughout. Goaltender Filip @Faze91- Azri continued on his crazy run claiming his third title in as many campaigns with hREDS, and only his fifth competitive ECL season!

We caught up with the towering defenseman Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen in the midst of the celebrations:

You made history earlier this spring but still continue to succeed and become even better. What drives you to be even better every time you take the ice?
It's the fact that we've got six great guys put together. We're constantly getting to know each other even better, growing chemistry and coming up with new tricks. We've got a very wide variety of plays and for example in this Finals series we had to dig very deep and pull some stuff out of the archives.

How was it for you playing in this environment and what challenges did it bring?
It was awesome and the atmosphere was great. All around I think the experience was good. No bigger challenges I think despite the weather. I mean, you need to practice so you can perform regardless of the circumstances. 

The Finals series was surprisingly tight and very entertaining. What were some of the feelings you went through during the series and what did the team discuss in between games?
It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. First of all, we lost three games in a Playoff series which is something we simply don't do. Quite frankly we're not used to losing, so we were kind of rattled even. That's something we went over and tried to get over just being down about it and found new ways to win and play our own game. The decisive goal was something different though, we've celebrated hard before but that goal felt so much better than the ones before.

What made SAWO ESPORTS such a great opponent in this series?
I think the weakness was ourselves here. We didn't reach our best level at times and whenever SAWO scored the first goal, their defense was stellar. 

hREDS is now cemented in ECL history as one of the greatest teams to compete in the league. What's next on your radar?
It's a difficult announcement to make, but we're actually turning a new page as our captain @Beniittto is leaving for the army so we'll be forced to find a replacement for him. It'll definitely be a learning process and it gives us the chance to even find some new stuff and some exciting additions to our game. Obviously he's such a hard player to replace, but we'll take our time to scout the market for a suitable guy. I don't want to give an inside scoop yet, you'll find out on social media.

Finally, how will the win be celebrated?
We're going to party like never before. The clock is almost midnight at the time of this interview so we'll have to find a place soon, but it's a fact that no one has ever done anything like this before and we'll celebrate accordingly.

hREDS' road to the championship:

• #1 seed with the record 26-2-2
• Quarterfinals: vs Conquer Gaming (8) 4-0
• Semifinals: vs GOONS (5) 4-1
• Finals: vs SAWO ESPORTS (3) 4-3

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#91 Filip @Faze91- Azri

DEFENSEMEN
#27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen
#94 Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen (KingOfApes_) (A)

FORWARDS
#23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (A)
#89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen
#96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen (C)

If you happened to miss the broadcast, you can rewatch the action from Saturday here.

Thanks for tuning in and congrats to the champions!