SportsGamers,

With all of the top tier leagues and tournaments going on at the moment, we are now introducing Novelle Weekend - a casual single day tournament, skill capped with the goal to give new players a feel for competitive NHL esports. Novelle Weekend is produced in cooperation with the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and features cool prizes for top performers from Novelle and Leijonat! 

Novelle Weekend will be played as a single day tournament on 25.3.2023 and features separate divisions for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Check the full rulebook for all restrictions and the format.

Prizes
All participants enter a raffle for 1 month worth of Novelle (24 bottles).

1. 6 months worth of Novelle (192 bottles) + Leijonat fan set
2. 3 months worth of Novelle (96 bottles)
3. 1 month worth of Novelle (24 bottles)
 

This is the perfect opportunity for newer players to get a feel for competitive gaming and prove their skill in a low pressure environment. Make sure to sign up and tell your friends, it'll be a fun day of gaming!

Sign up here:

*Only Finnish residents are eligible to participate in Novelle Weekend.

For info in Finnish, head over to sportsgamer.gg/novelle.

SportsGamers,

After an impressive campaign throughout a long Lite season, we have crowned a new Champion in Pirati Chomutov Esports! The Czech outfit consisting of several Central European top players were unmatched offensively throughout the season and managed to best Project X in the Finals.

Tohtorit's road to the championship:

• #5 seed from Group 2 with the record 23-2-1
• Round 1: vs Armada Hockey (28) 4-0
• Round 2: vs EHC Kloten eSports (13) 4-1
• Quarterfinals: vs Prestige (8) 4-2
• Semifinals: vs Gunners HC (3) 4-1
• Finals: vs Project X (7) 4-3

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#8 @Deathstrokeris (DeathcoreFace)

DEFENSEMEN
#88 @JiFi23
#99 @SNIPER_SNAIL_VB

FORWARDS
#23 @Winci
#68 @Adri1_SCP
#69 @Kumbik (A)
#96 @KB24242 (C)

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

Tonight we'll be kicking off the ECL '23 Winter Lite Finals with a banger of a series! Pirati Chomutov Esports and Project X will be battling it out this week with games 1-3 tonight, followed by the rest of the series on Wednesday. A total of 1600€ will be split between both of these teams, who have claimed a spot in the Pro division for next season. Who will hoist the trophy, though?

 Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs  Project X (7)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
@Adri1_SCP 20 GP, 28+25=53  vs @JesseL2002 21 GP, 23+29=52

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
@Deathstrokeris (DeathcoreFace) 20 GP, 16 W, 80,09 SV%, 2.1 GAA, 4 SO vs @Easygame20 (Torvelajr__) 14 GP, 10 W, 85,95 SV%, 1.86 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
23-2-1 vs 20-5-1

In the Finals this season we'll be in for a clash of two rather different schools of hockey. The Central European super squad Pirati Chomutov are running a fast style of transition hockey, whereas Project X can do that also, but tend to resort to a more traditional style of buildup play. As a player who went up against Pirati Chomutov Esports in the Semifinals and ended up being outmached, I have to admit, I was unfamiliar with their game. The confidence that team is able to attack with at the moment is extremely difficult to counter, and their ability to utilize a second wave of attackers jumping in on the rush is unlike anything else in the Lite division this season. 

Project, on the other hand will definitely be able to match Pirati in terms of production, with a drastically different style as iterated before. @JesseL2002 has been an important cornerstone and definitely one of the biggest transfers ahead of the season. Experience will definitely be a factor in the favor of Project X, and they'll need to utilize that in order to adjust their play according to what Pirati will show offensively early on in the series. At times, @Easygame20 has been able to keep Project X alive in the playoffs, and he will be a player to keep your eye on throughout the series. 

Prediction: 4-2 Pirati Chomutov Esports

SportsGamers,

After an intense series against Frölunda HC, we've crowned Tunnel Vision the ECL '23 Winter Elite Champions at Assembly. The young squad hoisted their first ever ECL trophy and are now in for another challenge against Entourage in the inaugural World Finals Saturday evening. 

Tunnel Vision's road to the championship:

• #1 seed from with the record 27-0-3
• Quarterfinals: vs JANO (8) 4-1
• Semifinals: vs JYP Jyväskylä (5) 4-2
• Finals: vs Frölunda HC (3) 

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#7 Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen
#86 Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos

DEFENSEMEN
#24 Veeti @Wenger Paloneva
#65 Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen

FORWARDS
#9 Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen
#37 Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen
#67 Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkönen
 

We managed to reach out to the Tunnel Vision goalie Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen amidst all the celebration:

You're the Champions after an imcredibly tough series against Frölunda HC, how does the win make you feel?

"It was a good series, and I have a massive respect for the fight that Frölunda put up against us. We had a good chance that we managed to capitalize on in Game 7, which ended up being the decisive factor. Feels great!"

The series was a back-and-forth affair throughout, why do you think that is?

"That's a thing I was wondering about during play also, I think we just weren't able to stick to our game after a win and lacked a bit of consistency."

How do you turn around from here and start prepping for tomorrow?

"I don't think we'll spend that much time prepping. We've done our groundwork and scouted Entourage ahead of time and will be riding today's flow with a new focus."

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

We are ready for a spectacle at Assembly Winter 2023, where over the course of the weekend, we'll see both the ECL and the WorldFinals trophies hoisted. Tonight, Tunnel Vision and Frölunda HC will start the action with a best-of-seven series in the bright lights of the main stage. The players are excited and there's a certain kind of electricity in the air, so let us set the scene. 

Tunnel Vision  (1)  vs Frölunda HC  (3)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 11 GP, 7+9=16 vs Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala 9 GP, 12+9=21

GOALTENDER
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 11 GP, 8 W, 87,13 SV%, 1.18 GAA, 4 SO vs Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 9 GP, 8 W, 89,52 SV%, 1.22 GAA, 4 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
27-0-3 vs 22-4-4

Tunnel Vision has trodden a path of continuous success this season, without the faintest signs of slowing down. The young roster have grown to being a well oiled machine that is now competing at the very highest level, and are aiming to take over the throne from the likes of hREDS and Frölunda, who have been reigning supreme at the top for so long. This season, the prolific scoring winger Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen really underlined the dominance of his team by claiming the regular season scoring title with a career defining performance throughout. Much of his success is attributed to the excellent chemistry and balance that the team has been able to find, with every player chipping in in all situations. 

The powerhouse Frölunda HC have made their return to the Finals after one season of absence from the brightest of spotlights. Now with a true NHL 19 dream team, this squad is ready as ever to take on the biggest of challenges. Experience is without a doubt one of the biggest assets that Frölunda HC have on their side, with all of their players holding several titles already and lots of LAN events and Finals under their belts. That is a massive advantage, going into an event where we are expecting record attendance at the big stage. On the virtual ice, the team clearly had a transition period due to several roster moves and position changes, but they've really been able to find their way and have looked unstoppable at times in the Playoffs. Most recently, Frölunda managed to take down the mighty hREDS, who no team have won in a Playoff series for a long, long time. The big, bad reds have been an obstacle on Frölunda's path to the Championship for a long time already, but now that they're out of the way, we'll wait with excitement to see if anyone will be able to stop this Championship train. 

We handed the prediction over to our community this time, and here are the end results:

You will be able to watch both the ECL '23 Winter Elite Finals and the NHL 23 World Finals unfold this weekend either live at Assembly Winter 2023 in Helsinki, Finland, or on our stream over at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG.
 

Weekend Schedule

Friday, February 24th - 18:30 CET/ 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT
The ECL '23 Winter Elite Finals @ Assembly Winter 2023
Frölunda HC  (3) vs Tunnel Vision  (1)

Saturday, February 25th - 18:30 CET/ 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT
The NHL 23 World Finals @ Assembly Winter 2023
Entourage  vs TBD
 

We're hoping to see as many as possible of you at the event or showing support for your favorite teams in the chat, lots of SportsGamer staff and community personalities will be present in both capacities! Let's enjoy the unique atmosphere of the community coming together and make this an event to remember.

SportsGamers,

The Core season is coming to an end and the final will oppose two teams that were particularly expected for this meeting. Of course the playoffs always reserve their share of surprises and it is not uncommon for favorites to be eliminated prematurely, but this time they are there and there.

Schedule

Please note that the Playoff structure has been shortened of what was originally planned, and therefore the originally provided Playoff schedule is not valid. Here is the updated schedule:

• RO16: 22.1-29.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Semifinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-23.2.2023
   

 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs  HC Korobka (2)

Their road to the Finals

Cheeky Grinders in regular season : 20-2-2 / 127 goals for / 53 goals against / 32% PP / 97% PK
RO16 : 4-0 vs Ambri
Quarterfinals : 4-1 vs HC Pustertal eSports
Semifinals : 4-1 vs Deggendorfer SC Esports

HC Korobka in regular season : 18-5-1 / 110 goals for / 57 goals against / 12% PP / 91% PK
RO16 : 4-1 vs WarHeads
Quarterfinals : 4-3 vs MoDo Hockey
Semifinals : 4-3 vs Hannover Indians eSports

So here is the matchup that some have seen coming for a long time and which, to a certain extent, does not come as a surprise. Cheeky Grinders had the best regular season record, Korobka was not far behind. And as this final is about to begin, it's hard not to think that Cheeky Grinders has all the elements to win this final. Best attack in the division, a very solid defense, a particularly brilliant special team game… All the indicators tip the scales in favor of the Finns. Even their career in the playoffs pleads in their favor: twelve wins and two losses. In front of that, Korobka presents twelve victories and seven defeats at the same time.
And yet, even ahead of the statistics, we must consider the Russian team capable of thwarting the trend. And it is precisely because they have found themselves in difficulty with the teammates of @lordkomar91 that they are perhaps the opponent that Cheeky Grinders must fear. The Russians faced defeat and even found themselves in danger in the previous rounds. The Finns, on the other hand, had a fairly relaxing regular season and playoffs. They did not test themselves in adversity and this could prove decisive if by chance Korobka were to take an advantage at the start of the series.

Prediction: 4-3 for Cheeky Grinders

SportsGamers,

This season, our ECL Elite Player Awards vote will return and all of you will have the opportunity to impact who will receive the individual awards at the end of the season. We have six categories in total with five nominees in each category. While some nominees have been selected due to their statistically superior performance, there has been space for a slightly more subjective approach too. We've had a jury pick out two of the five nominees in all five categories based on their votes.

Voting will open effective immediately and we're asking you to cast your votes by Tuesday, February 21st at 23:59 CET. The awards will be presented in the ECL '23 Winter Finals broadcasts on Friday, February 24th. Make sure to cast your vote in order to support your favorite player!

Here's a list of all the nominees in all the different award categories. You'll find the embedded poll at the end of each category, so make sure to cast your votes!
 

Top Forward
The Top Forward award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their forward position.

Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, Tunnel Vision 
The young winger moved from GOONS to Tunnel Vision in the offseason as the replacement of Jere @jxrska Laukka and took off immediately. He has been able to score from anywhere in the offensive zone and with the hot stick, bounces seemed to favor him all season long too!

Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, hREDS 
Perhaps the best centerman in the game is able to elevate players flanking him while simultaneously being very reliable defensively. An unusually high scoring centerman, who finished #2 in the scoring race this season.

Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen, hREDS 
The hREDS prodigy has cemented his position as one of the absolute top forwards in the Elite division and had an excellent season, earning him 3rd place in the scoring race. 

Wade @Wpaanane Paananen, JANO 
Ahead of the season, expectations for JANO were somewhere around the no-mans-land, but the team quickly showed that they've been able to gel together, and winger wpaanane had greatly elevated his level of play just in time for his rookie season in Elite. 

Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen, Tunnel Vision 
One of the most efficient scorers in Elite already last season continued in great form also this season. Now with a different winger duo beside him, Vattuyy looks even more versatile than before.

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Top Defender
The Top Defender award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their defenseman position.

Veeti @Wenger Paloneva, Tunnel Vision 
While Wenger has been a part of successful Elite squads in the past, and even played forward back in the days, he surpassed his personal best in terms of points this season. The #1 scoring defenseman by a 4-point margin.

Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, JANO 
The former JYP Jyväskylä defenseman blossomed this season with JANO, more than doubling his personal best in scoring. Really found a connection to feed his forwards in scoring chances. 

Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, hREDS 
After managing to establish a dominant position among the ranks of top defensemen last season with SAWO Esports, Teemuyy made his return to hREDS and continued right where he left off. 

Jean-Patrick @Patsberg_ Kotonen, Nordic Stars 
Patsberg has been developing nicely for a couple of seasons already and this run with Nordic Stars was one where the team kind of surprised everyone, much as the result of their players overperforming their expectations.

Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen, hREDS 
Ever since transitioning to defense, KingOfApes has been a mainstay in the discussion of top defensemen. He's one of the most dynamic defensemen in the league, with the ability to quarterback plays while keeping all of his teammates involved. 

 

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Top Goalie
The Top Goalie award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their goaltender position.

Casper @ICappeI Lundgren, Frölunda HC 
Sharing responsibilities with Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen in ECL Elite's toughest goalie tandem, the lesser amount of games didn't show in Cappe's touch at all. Still one of the absolute best.

Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, Reality Check HC 
With his comeback after several seasons away from the Pro division, SeRe played a massive part in the success of Reality Check HC this season. Battled with the best of them in terms of SV% and GAA. 

Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, Tunnel Vision 
An excellent backstopper for an excellent team. Could have had bunches of shutouts, but characteristically for the game, something always seemed to sneak by in the weirdest of ways.

Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich, ZSC Esports 
The starter for the Swiss lions has greatly upped his game since gaining more experience at the Elite level. This season, the Lions even managed to mount a playoff push for the first time in team history.

Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen, Frölunda HC 
One of the winningest players in NHL esports history and an excellent goaltender, forming one of the leagues best tandems together with Casper @ICappeI Lundgren. Definitely pulled his weight and more, helping Frölunda reach success this season. 

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Rookie Of The Season
The Rookie Of The Season award is awarded to a player in their rookie ECL Elite season, who has excelled above the competition regardless of position.

Wade @Wpaanane Paananen, JANO 
Ahead of the season, expectations for JANO were somewhere around the no-mans-land, but the team quickly showed that they've been able to gel together, and winger wpaanane had greatly elevated his level of play just in time for his rookie season in Elite. 

Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström, JYP Jyväskylä 
It looked like a questionable decision from JYP to start two Elite rookies on defense, with both of them being fairly new to the position nonetheless. However, the duo quickly proved their doubters wrong. 

Jani @Vamoux Jämsäläinen, JANO 
Played on an excellent tandem together with veteran Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä, statistically besting his partner by a narrow margin. A name to keep an eye out for in the future.

Eemil @Eeemill_ Törnvall, JANO 
The JANO captain has put in an impressive amount of work over the course of the past few seasons and while he has been surrounded by several different constellations, this season was a home run both for the team and on a personal level. 

Teemu @tkantola Kantola, GOONS 
Another move that was questioned rather heavily ahead of the season, but proven to at least work out in some capacity for GOONS. The team had somewhat of a turbulent season with tkantola being one of their brights spots throughout the campaign. Proved his ability to compete at the Elite level.

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Comeback Player Of The Season
The Comeback Player Of The Season award is awarded to a player that after one or more seasons away from ECL Elite competition, makes an impactful comeback to the highest level.

Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, Reality Check HC 
With his comeback after several seasons away from the Pro division, SeRe played a massive part in the success of Reality Check HC this season. Battled with the best of them in terms of SV% and GAA. 

Markus @Makeaxl Lahti, JANO 
The skilled defenseman made his return to Elite after a few seasons away from the top level and it looked like he hadn't missed a stride. Quarterbacked the play of JANO all season long and certainly had a calming effect on the play of his team. 

V-V @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) Lampela, Reality Check HC 
The high scoring winger has been a part of the dangerous Reality Check offense for a few seasons already and always seems to reach close to potting at least a goal per game. Showed this season, that it's no issue for him in the Elite division either. 

Harri @Pursuitti Haaksiala, Reality Check HC 
The fast winger has made a trademark of blowing past defenders on his right flank, and did just that with impressive efficiency this season. Miles ahead of the level of player we saw on his last Elite appearance with HC Wildcard back in ECL 8. 

Adam @dzouvi Mensik, Växjö Lakers 
The Czech superstar was one of the few bright spots of Växjö Lakers' season, leading his team in scoring and surpassing his former record from ECL '22 Winter with Granit Gaming by one point!

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Transfer Of The Season
The Transfer Of The Season award is awarded to a player who after a transfer is deemed to have been the most impactful player for their new team.

Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, Tunnel Vision 
The young winger moved from GOONS to Tunnel Vision in the offseason as the replacement of Jere @jxrska Laukka and took off immediately. He has been able to score from anywhere in the offensive zone and with the hot stick, bounces seemed to favor him all season long too!

Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen, JANO 
We saw an excellent season from the entire JANO roster, complemented greatly by the performances of SadaPoika, who was acquired from Falun Coal Miners in the offseason. This experienced player managed to almost double his point totals from last season.

Veeti @Wenger Paloneva, Tunnel Vision 
While Wenger has been a part of successful Elite squads in the past, and even played forward back in the days, he surpassed his personal best in terms of points this season. The #1 scoring defenseman by a 4-point margin.

Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, JANO 
The former JYP Jyväskylä defenseman blossomed this season with JANO, more than doubling his personal best in scoring. Really found a connection to feed his forwards in scoring chances. 

Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen, Frölunda HC 
One of the winningest players in NHL esports history and an excellent goaltender, forming one of the leagues best tandems together with Casper @ICappeI Lundgren. Definitely pulled his weight and more, helping Frölunda reach success this season. 

Powered by Poll Maker

As stated, the voting will be open until Tuesday, February 21st at 23:59 CEST, so make sure to cast your votes before that and tune in to the finals broadcast on Friday February 24th for all the action and the voting results!

SportsGamers,

At the end of an impressive Playoffs run and a thriller of a Finals series, we are able to crown Tohtorit the ECL '23 Winter Pro Champions! This team took their time to get going, managed to barely squeak into the Playoffs after the Group Stage, but eventually were unstoppable in the postseason. 

With their Championship, not only does Tohtorit secure the largest share of the 5500€ prize pool, but also manage to gain promotion to the European Top 16 for their ECL '23 Spring campaign. Leksands IF will have to get over their tough Finals loss quick, and turn their course towards an important relegation battle against Elite #15 Växjö Lakers in an exciting SHL rivalry matchup!

Tohtorit's road to the championship:

• #8 seed from Group 1 with the record 17-10-3
• Round 1: vs Renascor (1) 4-1
• Quarterfinals: vs Be a Bro (1) 4-3
• Semifinals: vs Örebro Hockey (3) 4-3
• Finals: vs Leksands IF (7) 4-3

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#21 @Stammer70
#82 @Simbanho

DEFENSEMEN
#16 @Ojala16 (C)
#93 @tominointi (A)

FORWARDS
#63 @Ristimaki12 (A)
#66 @ADETIKKI (Dillynger)
#88 @Harlowi-

On behalf of the entire SportsGamer community, we congratulate the Champions and extend a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

Tonight we'll see a true eHockey spectacle with the full best-of-seven series of the ECL '23 Winter Pro Finals unfolding. Both LEksands IF and Tohtorit have trodden a somewhat unlikely path to the Finals. At this point, both teams have managed to peak at the right moment and are coming into the Finals in great form. It's always interesting to see a full series go off in one night, as there's always the chance of one team just being off their game. Join the stream tonight to see what will happen!

(7)  Leksands IF vs (8)  Tohtorit

TOP SCORER
@Bror1326 16 GP, 16+24=40 vs @Harlowi- 19 GP, 19+18=37

GOALTENDER
@I-Lillebror-I 16 GP, 12 W, 81,31 SV%, 2.5 GAA, 2 SO vs @Stammer70 19 GP, 12 W, 83,25 SV%, 1.84 GAA, 4 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
18-9-3 vs 17-10-3

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
2-1, 3-4

These two teams met already in the group stage, in the second matchup of the season and ended up splitting points in two one goal games. At this point, close to two months has passed since, and it seems like both teams have really found their stride in the Playoffs, while they perhaps underperformed a bit in the regular season. For Leksand, the Nidalen brothers have went have really popped off and @Bror1326 has earned himself the top spot in Playoff scoring, looking to continue his great run, while the other brother @I-Lillebror-I has been great in net for the team. This is not to forget a great supporting cast, who can provide secondary scoring and hold down the fort for the go-to-guys to do their thing. 

Tohtorit are coming into the Finals off of a thrilling game seven win against Örebro Hockey, where Tohtorit took each of their four wins with a margin of only one goal. The player of the series for them was definitely goaltender @Stammer70, who is rightfully representing his team with an impressive stat line on a deep playoff run. Tohtorit's most efficient scorer has been @Harlowi-, who has slowly started to warm up and really found his game when the stakes are getting higher. Now in a final push for the championship, we could end up seeing Tohtorit throwing caution to the wind and really going for it in a shootout-style series against a team that can really hang in there with the best of them. 

Prediction: 4-3, Leksands IF. 

SportsGamers,

The Lite Semifinals are about to unfold in the upcoming days and with that, we've got four teams left, fighting for title and direct promotion in addition for the biggest share of the Prize pool. Make sure to tune in to the streams to root for your favorite teams!

Schedule

• RO32: 22.-25.1.2023
• RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023
• Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-22.2.2023

Without further ado, here are all of our matchups:

Six Sticks Misfits (1) vs  Project X (7)

Six Sticks Misfits have now sent two Central European teams packing in back-to-back rounds of Playoff action, now making the return to their home server, they'll be facing Project X, a similar, quite experienced Finnish squad with a lot of upside. Both teams are some of the more offensively powerful squads in the league, and they've actually scored the exact same amount of goals in the Playoffs thus far, with Project X only taking one game longer to do so. This series could very well come down to which team better manages to shut down their own end, and statistically, Six Stick have been way better at that, with their 1,81 GAA against Project X's 2,18 GAA throughout the Playoffs. Six Sticks have been a bit undisciplined at times, but Project X's powerplay haven't been all too hot in the postseason, so we'll expect this one to be settled in a 5-on-5 setting. 

Prediction: 4-2, Six Sticks Misfits.
 

 Gunners HC (3) vs  Pirati Chomutov Esports (5)

Keep your eyes on this one! Gunners HC have put on an excellent defensive performance throughout the season, whereas Pirati Chomutov Esports have been on the other end of the spectrum, seemingly scoring at will, while not having the need to sweat about letting in some goals at times. Gunners' captain @Aarons has managed to compile a roster with the perfect balance of experience and youth, that has combined into an extremely well oiled machine, able to slow down any offense thrown at them. Now they're in for their biggest challenge yet, taking on the speedy wingers of the Pirates in @Adri1_SCP and @Winci, who receive great support from centerman @Kumbik. We're in for a battle of two very different styles of play, and couldn't be more excited to watch it unfold. 

Prediction: 4-3, Gunners HC.
 

The last straight line before the finals is launched! They are now only four and the fight for the Finals will be open tonight. Three favorites are set at the rendezvous and a slightly less expected guest comes knocking at the door. Let's see right away what is at stake in these two semifinals.

Schedule

Please note that the Playoff structure has been shortened of what was originally planned, and therefore the originally provided Playoff schedule is not valid. Here is the updated schedule:

• RO16: 22.1-29.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Semifinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-23.2.2023

 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs  Deggendorfer SC Esports (6)

The big favorite against the underdog, that's how we could sum up this series which will face two teams both from Group 2. Cheeky Grinders is a team whose path so far has left nothing to chance. Beaten in regular time by only two teams during the regular time, Predators and Pirates eSports, the Finnish players seemed unfazed. Their first two rounds of playoffs were no less tumultuous with a 4-0 victory against the Swiss of Ambri then 4-1 against the Austrian team of Pustertal.
Facing them are the Germans of Deggendorfer. In itself their presence at this stage of the competition is not necessarily a surprise. Their regular season has been well controlled even though their record of 15-7-2 is far from that of their opponents, 20-2-2. This is an experienced team that knew how to thwart the torturous traps of the first round of the playoffs where Fenris Wolves almost eliminated them and they had to go through the terrible ordeal of match 7. And that's probably what the team's mind forged because the next round, paradoxically, seemed simpler. Faced with Predators who had preceded them during the regular season, the Germans seemed to experience less difficulty. During their oppositions in season, the Finns won twice, 3-1 then 7-4. This is one more argument that allows us to estimate that Cheeky Grinders will win a ticket to the final.

Prediction: 4-2 for Cheeky Grinders

 HC Korobka (2) vs  Hannover Indians eSports (3)

Here again we have two teams from the same group which will confront each other. But this time around things don't seem as readable as in the previous series. Between Korobka and their dazzling start, and Hannover and their consistency, it is very difficult to say who will come out of it the most clearly in this opposition. Both are teams with a very similar profile. Two teams that score a lot and concede a relatively low number of goals. For each of them it is clearly the offensive game that gives them arguments and we know that in the playoffs it is the defenses that have arguments to oppose. It should in no way be surprising if the series were to continue until a final game 7. If for each the first round of the playoffs was relatively calm, on the other hand the quarter-finals were epic for both teams. Korobka had to fight against the Swedes of MoDo who never made it easy for them and it was only after an undecided match 7 that the decision was made. Hannover for their part were heroic in reversing a negative trend and winning three games in a row. Led 1-3 by Olten, the Germans were able to recover and went to seek their qualification with the sweat of their brow, also in a match 7.
Both teams know how to hit the scoreboard as we know, but whichever of the two best preserves its cage will have its place in the final.

Prediction: 4-3 for Korobka

• RO32: 22.1.-29.1.2023
• RO16: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Semifinals: 19.-23.2.2023
• Finals: 26.2.-1.3.2023

During the previous round, two significant performances were observed. First the sensation came from the elimination of Rusty Bulls, leader of the regular season by Russian Lightning, 3-2. The other feat of arms is to be credited to Dompa HC who got rid of the number 3 seed, The Real Rookies, 3-1. We also remember the sweep imposed by Nbg Ice Tigers 2 (10) at LETTLAND (7).

Find the matchups here:

Pirati Chomutov Academy (2) vs Russian Lightning (19)

Kanukit (4) vs Dompa HC (15)

Belissimo (5) vs Nbg Ice Tigers 2 (10)

Old Hogs (6) vs EASHL Russian (8)

SportsGamers,

We're down to the top four teams in the ECL '23 Winter Elite division and with that, these teams are only eight wins away from a title, and a spot in the inaugural World Finals! This round will offer some highly exciting action and a classic between hREDS and Frölunda HC. which one of these teams will be the first to claim a spot in the Finals?

Schedule

• Quarterfinals: 25.1-1.2.2023
• Semifinals: 5-8.2.2023
• Finals: 24.2.2023 (Live in Helsinki)

Tunnel Vision  (1)  vs JYP Jyväskylä  (5)

TOP SCORER
Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 5 GP, 5+6=11 vs Santeri @indi969 Pendolin 5 GP, 5+4=9

GOALTENDER
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 5 GP, 4 W, 80,43 SV%, 1.8 GAA, 1 SO vs Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt 5 GP, 4 W, 84,48 SV%, 1.8 GAA, 2 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
27-0-3 vs 18-9-3

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
7-2, 7-3

When these two teams clashed in the regular season, the story was very lopsided, and Tunnel Vision managed to have their way with JYP in two high-scoring victories. While it seemed like JYP has struggled a bit with defensive collapses throughout the regular season, they've really tightened things up in the Playoffs and managed to wear out Reality Check HC in the Quarterfinals. Tunnel Vision also had no issue overcoming JANO in their Quarterfinals matchup. Thus far, neither of these teams have been forced to flex all of their muscles, and we can expect the pace to pick up even more moving forward, but Tunnel Vision will more than likely be better accustomed to the kind of hockey that it will take to win this series, and they'll be able to play on the chemistry of their core and ride the hot blade that Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen has been having all season long. Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt was excellent for JYP in their Quarterfinals matchup and even secured some wins for the club with massive saves in the dying seconds of the game, whereas Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen still has some room to improve for Tunnel Vision. 

Prediction: 4-1, Tunnel Vision.

hREDS  (2) vs Frölunda HC  (3)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen 4 GP, 2+5=7 vs Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha 4 GP, 4+7=11

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
Filip @Faze91- Azri 4 GP, 4 W, 92,31 SV%, 0.75 GAA, 2 SO vs Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 4 GP, 4 W, 94,39 SV%, 0.5 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
24-4-2 vs 22-4-4

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
1-3, 3-2

We're in for a real treat in these Semifinals as hREDS and Frölunda HC are about to clash. These are two greats of the game and while in recent years, hREDS have been the torchbearers on the big stages, Frölunda HC have never stopped their grind, and this season they are looking better than ever on the prowl for another big title. Is this the time they'll be able to trample that hREDS dynasty?

A look in the crease reveals two real legends of the position, but interestingly enough, neither Casper @ICappeI Lundgren or Filip @Faze91- Azri managed to quite reach their top level in the regular season. However, they've both made a really quick turnaround and picked up their game in impressive fashion. With three shutouts in four games played and a high-flying 94,29 SV%, Cappe is tough to beat for the best goalie in the Playoffs at this moment, but Faze will certainly look to give him a run for his money. 

Statistically, this will be one of those series that could very well end up going all the way, and split points in the regular season indicate something in that direction too. Both of these teams know each other very well, so expect to see tight checking and a bit of a slower start to the series. 

Prediction: 4-3, hREDS.

Join us for the first Semifinals gameday TONIGHT at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! Both series will see their start, and we'll really be able to see in which direction these matchups start moving.

SportsGamers,

Now with only four teams remaining in the Pro division we're down to the very best around. These teams will need only eight more wins to claim the trophy and gain direct promotion to the European top 16!

Schedule

• RO16: 19.-24.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023
• Semifinals: 5.-7.2.2023
• Finals: 12.-14.2.2023

(4)  Örebro Hockey vs (8)  Tohtorit

What a road both of these teams have had on their way to the Semifinals. Örebro looked like they could even have been on the way to the top seed at times, but took some time in finding their consistency. They have dispatched Memento in the first round, after which RCTIC put up a real good fight in the Quarterfinals, but the red and white prevailed. Örebro are have seen a good development throughout the season, as their main guy in the regular season was @Rimpe, who actually now sits at last in scoring within the team. This means that they've been able to find the second wave on a consistent basis when their top guy has been marked. Watch for @ripKeisari to finally open his scoring these Playoffs!

Tohtorit are a squad that have had somewhat of a turbulent season. The high-skill roster barely made the Playoffs in an exciting race for those final spots and while we'e even heard rumblings of the team calling it quits at some point, that hasn't been evident in any way on their actions on the ice. The 8th seed haven't made their road to this stage easy, but they'll certainly be warmed up for any challenge that Örebro might throw at them. As the stakes get higher, we are really seeing winger @Harlowi- come into his own and stepping up for his team. 

When these teams clashed in the regular season, both games were won by Örebro, in a 4-5 OT win and 1-0 win.

Prediction: 4-3, Örebro
 

(6)  Nemesis vs (7)  Leksands IF

Neither one of these teams have had an easy way through the Playoffs thus far. However, both have now taken down these rather excellent opponents in surprisingly easy manner. Nemesis came into the 2nd round off of a dominant showing against HanaaHC, after which they dismantled Djurgården Hockey in similar fashion. Leksands IF, on the other hand, have now taken down IK Oskarshamn and Golden Nights without any real issue and shown that they are able to play on both the counter-attack and in control of the game, whichever style the situation calls for. The offensive power that Leksands IF holds is unmatched in the Playoffs at the moment, as all three of their forwards slot into the top 5 in Playoff scoring. That is exactly why Nemesis will be relying on experienced goaltender @Viltzup to keep up his stellar play, maintaining his league leading save percentage. 

Prediction: 2-4, Leksands IF.

SportsGamers,

We're at the Quarterfinals stage of the Lite division, and at this point all of the remaining teams have secured a portion of the prize pool and a spot in the Pro division Qualifiers for next season. The stakes are only getting higher from here, so let's get ready for some big matchups and thrilling gameplay!

Schedule

• RO32: 22.-25.1.2023
• RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023
• Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-22.2.2023

Without further ado, here are all of our matchups:

Six Sticks Misfits (1) vs  Herforder Ice Dragons (19)

The top seed Six Sticks Misfits have been able to dispatch TROJANS and DEG eSports easily in the first two rounds of action, with trusty old scoring machine @Lamsa leading the way being second in the entire league in terms of scoring. The misfits have been able to shut down their opponents while simultaneously being able to explode for some big numbers occasionally. In fact, these two squads matched up against eachother in the last games of the regular season, and ended up splitting wins in two very tightly contested games. While the Misfits controlled action especially in their own home game, Herforder have proven to be a resilient opponent able to overcome high skill teams in tough matchups. Their latest triumph was over heavy favorite Hunters in a series that extended to game 7 overtime. While the German squad looked to be under heavy fire from time to time, they never faltered and eventually experienced winger @eBasstian sealed the deal for them to move on.

Prediction: 4-2, Six Stick Misfits.
 

 Gunners HC (3) vs  Purification (15)

Gunners HC are now the second highest seed remaining in the Playoff picture, and the extremely defense-oriented squad goes up against the Swedish roster of Purification, with tremendous speed up the wings. Both teams have had somewhat similar roads through the Playoffs with a tough matchup in the first round against Swiss clubs SCB eSports and Lions Academy respectively, after which the two combatants dispatched NOSTREETSPORTS and Sodertalje SK without too many troubles. Purification will expect big things from defenseman @wickmanwOw, who has been quarterbacking most of their play throughout the Playoffs, whereas Gunners HC have been able to find a rather balanced approach reliant on quick puck movement and tight team defense, as a result allowing goaltender @jaakqoo to shine as one of the brightest stars in the division at the moment. 

Prediction: 4-2, Gunners HC.
 

 Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs  Prestige (8)

We could very well be in for some fireworks in this one, as two of the highest scoring teams throughout the season will be going up against each other. The Czech outfit of Chomutov have their top guy @Adri1_SCP up front, whereas Prestige has @I_Saarinen_I as the equivalent. Both teams have plenty of secondary scorers, but this could end up being a story of these two star players. Which one of these guys can outplay the other? Comutov have been penalized quite a lot throughout the Playoffs, so they'll certainly want to cut back on those extra two-minutes in the sin bin.

Prediction: 3-4, Prestige.
 

 Vizio (6) vs  Project X (7)

Keep an eye on this series, where we'll have most likely the highest individual skill team Vizio, going up against Project X, probably one of the most experienced teams in the division alongside Six Stick Misfits. Perhaps the biggest Lite division offseason acquisition, @JesseL2002 has been excellent for Project X, leading the team in scoring in both the regular season and Playoffs. The left winger also is a big player in the teams puck possession play and makes for a lethal duo together with @Tappu on the left flank. Vizio is one of the most high possession teams in the Playoffs and with all the skill in their roster, they will be able to frustrate teams with second to none puck protection and cycle play. 

Prediction: 2-4, Project X. 

EHC Red Bull Munich, the league-leading DEL team backed by the worldwide energy drink giant is now making their entry into esports in the form of competitive NHL 6v6. The club has from before been loosely affiliated through long-time The Real Rookies captain Justin @JS_1510 Schütz, who is currently already in his fifth season with the Bavarian DEL club. Now, Red Bull Munich is entering the game bigger than before and with that, they've looked to sign a successful roster with prospects of making it to the big leagues. 

The Herforder Ice Dragons will join the EHC Red Bull Munich family, effective immediately. At the moment, the German squad is battling it out in the ECL '23 Winter Lite Playoffs and recently overcame #2 seed Hunters in a thrilling Round 2 series extending to game seven overtime. Now in their first season of action at the Lite level, the team is in for a big Quarterfinals matchup against the top seed Six Sticks Misfits, and they've secured a spot in the upcoming ECL '23 Spring Pro Qualifiers. By continuous development and some excellent offseason acquisitions, this team that started their journey back in ECL 11 Neo has now built a solid core that seems to be ready for the next step.

Team captain Tobias @Hohner Hohner has taken a step back into more of a team manager role and he will look to provide the best possible environment for the team to succeed in the future. He believes their new partnership can be highly beneficial for both parties: "We are very proud that we will be a part of the successful Red Bull family in the future. The merger means the opportunity for us as an eSports team to advance the virtual sport in connection with ice hockey. Our goal is to inspire the Red Bulls fans with strong performances on the virtual ice from now on".

You'll be able to follow the team as soon as on Monday and Tuesday, when they'll take the ice in the ECL '23 Winter Lite Semifinals against the top seed Six Sticks Misfits. Expect a tight battle, as this squad is no stranger to putting crowd favorites in a tough spot. 

SportsGamers,

The first round of the playoffs delivered its verdict and only the Austrians of Pustertal thwarted the order established by the regular season. Let's take a look at what the next qualifying round should look like.

Schedule

Please note that the Playoff structure has been shortened of what was originally planned, and therefore the originally provided Playoff schedule is not valid. Here is the updated schedule:

• RO16: 22.1-29.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Semifinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-23.2.2023

 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs  HC Pustertal eSports (12)

The regular season leader easily got rid of the Swiss of Ambri. This first round have had no other use for the Finns to raise their confidence a little more by allowing them to score twenty-eight times in four games.
For their part, the Pustertal players, after having started their season very badly, were able to finish it very well and it seems that this momentum could have carried them away until they eliminated North Sawo Lions. We knew that the Lions could have a defensive flaw, but this was not the case for the Austrians, with two overtime wins, they showed nerves of steel.
Two teams in full confidence will therefore face each other, one has nothing to lose and it is, as such, undoubtedly the most dangerous. Thus, Cheeky Grinders should not consider qualifying easily.
 

 HC Korobka (2) vs  MoDo Hockey (9)

The Korobka players led 3-0 before giving away a victory to WarHeads then finally, and logically, qualified for the next round. Their Finnish opponents have nevertheless shown that Korobka's defense is perfectly shaky. Against the Swedes of MoDo Hockey, it can be problematic. The men of Fjällräven Center managed to eliminate the French Pirates and they owe their qualification in priority to the ability of their attackers to connect, all orchestrated by an Anton Lund who seemed very cramped in this Division Core by being able to be dangerous at any time. Korobka will have to work offensively against a formation which defends low in front of its goalkeeper and which does not hesitate to padlock the neutral zone. It's a series that is undoubtedly exciting!
 

 Hannover Indians eSports (3) vs  EHC Olten eSports (7)

Initially it was the Swiss of Olten who had the best defense in the League. But Hanover, conceding just three goals in the series against the Black Hurricanes, and offering a shutout twice, hit hard. We can never say it enough but in the playoffs it is the ability of a team to keep its net intact which often makes the difference. The Germans leave with this trump card up their sleeve. But be careful because the Swiss still have in front of their goal the one who finished best goalkeeper of the season. Admittedly Vlad seemed less dashing against CapeTown but his career so far seems to be Olten's best asset.
 

 Predators (4) vs  Deggendorfer SC Esports (6)

We do not know what to say about this opposition. During the regular season Predators won twice, including one in overtime. Subsequently each of the two teams had an honorable season but as it seemed that the Predators managed to stay a little more regular then the balance could tip in their favor, without certainty. Always according to the same defensive logic, Predators are also doing better. On the other hand, in terms of the offensive, it is the Germans who have the advantage. It is an open series in which each of the two teams will have their chance.

SportsGamers,

Our fifth tier of competition is moving on to the second Playoff round, and we're progressing fast through the postseason!

• RO32: 22.1.-29.1.2023
• RO16: 30.1-7.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 9.-16.2.2023
• Semifinals: 19.-23.2.2023
• Finals: 26.2.-1.3.2023

Please notice that the teams who finished at the 8 first spots of the regular season were directly sent to this second round and had a bye in the first round. No real significant upsets occurred during round 1 except the qualification of Russian Lightning (19) over Engerau Pythons (14).

Find the matchups here:

Rusty Bulls (1) vs Russian Lightning (19)

Pirati Chomutov Academy (2) vs HC Northmen (17)

The Real Rookies (3) vs Dompa HC (15)

Kanukit (4) vs RAUTANE REMMI (13)

Belissimo (5) vs Atomic Hamsters (12)

Old Hogs (6) vs Unknown Heroes (11)

LETTLAND (7) vs Nbg Ice Tigers 2 (10)

EASHL Russian (8) vs Jokers Cergy (9)

SportsGamers,

The ECL '23 Winter Lite Playoffs are now in their second round and with that, only the 16 best squads remain! We're pleased to see a nice mix of Swedish, Finnish, Swiss, German and even Czech teams left in the fight for the title. Who will take it all though, stay tuned to find out!

Schedule

• RO32: 22.-25.1.2023
• RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023
• Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-22.2.2023

Without further ado, here are all of our matchups:

Six Sticks Misfits (1) vs vs  DEG eSports (24)

Top seed Six Sticks Misfits cleared round 1 against TROJANS with ease and are now in for their second challenge of the Playoffs, where a trip to Central Europe and DEG eSports await. While Six Sticks have all the experience they'll surely need to advance in these Playoffs, they'll now need to turn things up a notch, since DEG is coming into this one on a high note after defeating the skilled Technical Disaster squad in the first round very easily. A 4-1 series score is a testament to the danger of DEG in these Playoffs.

Prediction: 4-2 Six Sticks Misfits.

 Hunters (2) vs  Herforder Ice Dragons (19)

Hunters played a six game series against Resurrection, in which they completely shut down the opposition. With only eight goals conceded throughout the series, they're not going to lose too many games. Now, going up against Herforder Ice Dragons, who managed to pull off something of a similar stunt against Skelleftea AIK, who were the favorite in that series. this squad has slowly improved throughout the seasons and are now in a position to challenge other rosters in these playoffs, this could end up being tighter than expected!

Prediction: 4-2 Hunters.

 Gunners HC (3) vs  NOSTREETSPORTS (17)

Gunners HC actually ran into some trouble in round 1 against SCB eSports, who pot up a heroic fight, keeping the score low and managing to stay in the games until the end throughout the series. This is where the depth of Gunners' lineup was evident and they were able to salvage wins through great secondary or even tertiary scoring. Despite ending up in a tough matchup as the 17th seed, NOSTREETSPORTS handled their opponent Ultimatum easily, and they are showing that there is a possibility for them to sneak into a dark horse position in this postseason. They have some experience in their ranks, and if they find chemistry, they could be dangerous. 

Prediction: 4-2 Gunners HC.

 Sodertalje SK (4) vs   Purification (15)

Sodertalje SK were one of the best defensive squads in the regular season and got excellent goaltending at the back end from @Kussan82. However, in their seven game series against Lemmenvelhot, they didn't quite find the same stability down low and ended up in somewhat of a shootout in a couple of games. Their opponent in this one is Purification, who took down Lions Academy in a thrilling series that took the full seven games. With the exception of one, every game was a battle of a goal or a few, so Purification should have their nerves in check heading into the second round. 

Prediction: 3-4 Purification.

 Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs  EHC Kloten eSports (13)

The Czech offensive powerhouse were the only team to post a sweep in the first round, quite surprisingly. With heir forward trio all finding ways to produce, they'll surely be a tough squad to stop in the postseason. Now it's time for EHC Kloten eSports to have a crack at it, and it'll be interesting to watch, since their series against Stone Age in the first round was wide open from time to time. With both of these factors in mind, we could end up seeing some real fireworks in this battle with some of the division's best offensive players. 

Prediction: 4-3 Pirati Chomutov Esports.

 Vizio (6) vs  Timrå IK Esport (12)

The high-skill squad that Vizio has gathered ended up going all the way against Sawolanche, who kept every game competitive and very close. As we said, we know the skill in the Vizio lineup, but now they've shown their nerves too, and they are seemingly great. They'll be going up against the Swedish Timrå IK, who are led by @Jonass1551 up front with his 8 goals in the first round. Timrå also went to a game seven against Blessed Suedis, but managed to shut out their opponent on two occasions, which should bode well for them moving forward. 

Prediction: 4-3 Vizio.

 Project X (7) vs  Neptune Hockey (11)

We've got two great teams who live off of quick puck movement in this one. Both Project X and Neptune Hockey were able to dismiss their first round opposition quite easily, and have now been in good preparation for their upcoming matchup. For Neptune Hockey, you might want to keep an eye on the left flank, where @wiibeni and @VJobo- quarterback most of their play. Project X have a more balanced approach, which should yield favorable results. 

Prediction: 4-2 Project X.

 Prestige (8) vs  RoKi Esports (10)

Prestige's @I_Saarinen_I leads the league in goals scored throughout the first round, and his team will be hoping for him to continue on that pace in order for them to be, well, prestigious. The squad took down BIG Mistake in the first round, which is a sign of their competitiveness and ability to take down experienced rosters. RoKi, on the other hand had a successful Central European trip and took down EHC Dinamo Riga with relative ease and a 4-1 series result. The story of the first round for them was the connection between @Oliverigood and @egetelli_ on the flanks, and we'll most likely see them continue doing just the same against Prestige!

Prediction: 4-2 Prestige.
 

SportsGamers,

The first round of the ECL '23 Winter Pro Playoffs is now in the books, and we're quickly pushing on to the Quarterfinals already! After some hard fought battles, we're now left with eight of the best teams left, and as you'll have it, most of them ended up being from Group 1, with Nemesis being the only Group 2 team to push on from their first round series. At this point, all teams have secured a part of the prize pool, but now it's time to go for the title and increasing that cash prize!

Schedule

• RO16: 19.-24.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023
• Semifinals: 2.-7.2.2023
• Finals: 12.-14.2.2023

A big thank you to @ripKeisari for collaborating on this preview. 

(1)  Be a Bro vs (8)  Tohtorit

Be a Bro are on something of a title run, as they continued their great form from the regular season. The Bro's made easy work of Björklöven Esports with a first round sweep and @Svone10  in net was one of their key players, letting in only four goals throughout the series and posting a SV% of 90,91. Tohtorit experienced a minor setback when losing game 1 against Renascor, but quickly got their bearings straight and turned the series around with four straight wins. Keep an eye on @Ristimaki12 and @Harlowi-, who are both sitting at 12 points in their five games thus far and should continue their high production pace if they're able to figure out the tough Be a Bro defense. This series could very well be the tightest matchup in these Pro Quarterfinals, despite their seed, Tohtorit are a sneaky good team who could surprise anyone with a good team effort and splashes of individual skill.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 2-4 Tohtorit
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-3 Be a Bro
 

(2)  Golden Nights vs (7)  Leksands IF

Golden Nights were able to sweep the German powerhouse Deadly Phantoms with relative ease and the man behind the mask, @kkostiiii was in excellent form with two shutouts in the short series. It was evident throughout the series that Golden Nights were highly prepared for Playoff hockey and were extremely cautious to not spend any extra time in the penalty box, with only one penalty against in the series. Leksands IF, on the other hand had quite shootout in their series against IK Oskarshamn, with three games in the series seeing seven or more goals scored. The 4-1 series win is evidence of Leksand being a team that will be able to play any style they're required to, we know their ability to defend strictly, but they've now flexed their offensive muscles too. We're expecting this series to be significantly harder for both teams, and we'll certainly not be seeing too many above seven goal games. Keep an eye on the goalies with Kkostii in net for Golden Nights and @I-Lillebror-I in net for Leksand.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 4-3 Golden Nights
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-2 Golden Nights

(3)  Djurgården Hockey vs (6)  Nemesis

The first round series between Djurgården Hockey and Herlev Eagles was a very hard fought battle, from which DIF eventually emerged victorious. The sixth game took almost three full overtime periods until @lidman1 finally sealed the deal and sent Herlev packing. @Strumpan87 has been great for DIF and leads the team in scoring with his 7+9=16 in six games thus far, topping the tables together with Leksand's @Philip Deemus. Nemesis will be a tough opponent for the Swedes after quite easily disarming HanaaHC in the first round, seeing exceptional play from goaltender @Viltzup with his 86,27 SV% in the series. Nemesis showed impressive resilience in game 3 of against HanaaHC with a come-from-behind overtime victory from down 0-3 in the first period. Look for this series to feature high-skill individuals and once again, great goaltending on both ends of the ice. It'll be crucial for Nemesis to shut down Strumpan, otherwise the Swedish former Elite winger will wreak havoc on their defense.

@ripKeisari's prediction: 1-4 Nemesis
@jahajaha93's prediction: 2-4 Nemesis
 

(4)  Örebro Hockey vs (5)  RCTIC

Örebro dropped game 1 in the first round against Memento, but quickly turned the series around with dominant puck possession play and efficient finishing. They've got two excellent choices in net and could go with either @suitsukemestari or @benjamint737 in round two. Their opponent RCTIC played a six game series against VISU Gaming, in which @Limbe65 & @yrjoo were their key players, guaranteeing the win for the icy boys. We could end up seeing a series, where Örebro controls much of the play, but RCTIC looks to strike with a deadly counter-attack here and there. @Ricco can still improve a lot in net for RCTIC. 

@ripKeisari's prediction: Plays for Örebro Hockey
@jahajaha93's prediction: 4-2 Örebro Hockey

SportsGamers,

We're down to the top eight teams in the ECL '23 Winter Elite division and with that, it's time to start the Quarterfinals today! We've got some very familiar faces back in the Playoffs, once again looking for a taste of the Championship, while some surprising squads have managed to play their way into the top eight. Now it's time to really kick things of in the big games and fight all out to pave your road to the Finals at Assembly Winter 2023.

Schedule

• Quarterfinals: 25.1-1.2.2023
• Semifinals: 5-8.2.2023
• Finals: 24.2.2023 (Live in Helsinki)

Tunnel Vision  (1) vs JANO  (8)

TOP SCORER
Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 30 GP, 52+39=91 vs Wade @Wpaanane Paananen 30 GP, 32+39=71

GOALTENDER
Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 26 GP, 23 W, 83,28 SV%, 1.88 GAA, 1 SO vs Jani @Vamoux Jämsäläinen 16 GP, 6 W, 81,47 SV%, 2.69 GAA, 1 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
27-0-3 vs 13-9-8

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
3-2, 8-3

What an impressive season it's been for Tunnel Vision, who came so close to glory in the ECL '22 Spring season, and are back now hungrier than ever before. The most notable change we've seen in their roster is swapping superstar forward Jere @jxrska Laukka for another superstar in Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen, and what a season it's been for the young winger. Honestly, it's been a long time coming already and this will certainly be remembered as his true breakout season. To be fair, it's been all out success up and down the Tunnel Vision roster this season and in fact, all of their players reached personal highs in point production. Most impressively, Veeti @Wenger Paloneva has more than doubled his production from the previous season, instantly filling his spot and finding chemistry with defensive pairing Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen.

There's no denying it, JANO is on a sensational run and they've been able to surprise many teams this season after claiming their Elite spot by winning their relegation matchup against HV71 at the end of the '22 Spring season. JANO has pretty much been on a similar improvement path to that of their Quarterfinals opponents, but in a much smaller proportion. All of their forwards are close to, or over a 2 point per game production pace, and Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma has transformed from the defensive stay-at-home role he has with JYP Jyväskylä in the past to one of the leagues top two-way defensemen. Beside him, Markus @Makeaxl Lahti was expected to make a big impact as he is the guy who quarterbacks much of JANO's play, and he did. Can Make find his first goal of the season in the Playoffs?

hREDS  (2) vs Nordic Stars  (7)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 30 GP, 37+48=85 vs Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho 30 GP, 18+31=49

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
Filip @Faze91- Azri 28 GP, 22 W, 78,31 SV%, 1.93 GAA, 5 SO vs Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck 30 GP, 16 W, 77,35 SV%, 2.73 GAA, 3 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
24-4-2 vs 16-10-4

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
8-0, 2-3 OT

We were expecting hREDS to be the ones leading the pack this season with Tunnel Vision and Frölunda HC in hot pursuit, but due to a minor slip-up in form in the second to last week of the regular season, the defending Champions dropped to second in the standings. Most likely, this squad won't be fazed at all by this, however, and they'll continue on their merry way towards another very likely Finals appearance. One interesting snippet of info we'll have to point out is the fact that goalie Filip @Faze91- Azri posted his career worst regular season SV% at only 78,81, while still managing to put up five shutouts in the process. Those are certainly some puzzling numbers, but there's no doubt that this squad will have the mental capacity to overcome those small hurdles and tighten things up for the Playoffs. On a positive note for the big, bad REDS, we've seen them once again be excellent with their special teams - league leading by a rather wide margin, in fact. 

Nordic Stars have been an exciting team to follow throughout the season, but it seems like inconsistency has been plaguing them a bit and while they've been able to string together two winning streaks over the course of the season, they're now coming into the Playoffs with only three wins in their last ten games. A good sign for the Stars is definitely the fact that they've been able to challenge high quality teams in tight battles and they're one of the few teams that were able to beat hREDS in the regular season, but on the other hand they've had some games get out of hand, like the second one against hREDS, in which they suffered a 8-0 beating. We'll see if that comes back to haunt them in this series at all.

Frölunda HC  (3) vs ZSC Esports  (6)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala 30 GP, 30+29=59 vs Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg 30 GP, 20+17=37

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen 16 GP, 13 W, 81,66 SV%, 1.94 GAA, 3 SO vs Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich 28 GP, 18 W, 82,64 SV%, 2.25 GAA, 4 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
22-4-4 vs 18-12-0

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
2-0, 1-2 OT

The third party of this season's "big three", Frölunda HC will be heading south for a battle against the Swiss ZSC Esports in their Quarterfinal matchup. If we're basing expectations on the regular season games between these two, we're most likely in for a low-scoring series in which Frölunda should eventually come out on top due to being able to control most of the game events, but the Lions should be able to steal a win or two if they manage to stay opportunistic. For Frölunda, Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen could be a player that suits this series very well with his ability to surprise the opponent, and sometimes even his teammates by pulling somewhat unorthodox highlight-reel plays out of his bag of tricks. 

ZSC is by far the lowest scoring team in the Playoffs and in fact the only one who made the postseason with a negative goal differential. With the second lowest production rate out of the entire division, the Lions will, as stated, have to rely heavily on keeping the score down and capitalizing on their own chances. Statistically, they like to throw pucks on net and in a tight game, you'll never know what might come out of a seeing-eye shot through traffic. We're expecting ZSC to want to keep games low-event for Frölunda HC and they could end up trying to really shut things down in the neutral zone. Winger Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg most likely has the license to cherry pick a bit and the Frölunda defense will have to stay alert throughout the series with him. 

Reality Check HC  (4) vs JYP Jyväskylä  (5)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
V-V @vvlampela (cTunkeilija) Lampela 30 GP, 31+29=60 vs Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala 30 GP, 29+26=55

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes 30 GP, 18 W, 86,23 SV%, 1.77 GAA, 5 SO vs Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt 30 GP, 18 W, 77,78 SV%, 2.4 GAA, 1 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
18-8-4 vs 18-9-3

REGULAR SEASON SERIES
1-2, 1-2 OT

This mid-table matchup could be an exciting battle between the newly promoted Reality Check HC and Elite mainstay JYP Jyväskylä. While Reality Check immediately managed to make an impact that no one was quite expecting, JYP have done a similar trick in climbing back up the ladder after a few tougher seasons now in the rearview. The black and yellow were really clicking all season long and even topped the standings for a while due to finishing their games ahead of their competition. The fact that they've been able to take a bit of a longer break from ECL Elite competition could either end up being beneficial or hurting them, we'll have to see which way it turns out. One of the most exciting players for Reality Check HC this season was definitely Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who has made a strong case for that Goaltender of The Year-trophy with his impressive campaign. FINSeRe leads the league in shutouts and SV% for starters, which is highly impressive for a team outside of the immediate title race. The team in front of him is also tied for the best defensive squad in the league together with Frölunda HC. 

As mentioned, it's been a pleasure to watch JYP rise from the ashes and claim their spot back in the Playoff competition of the Elite division and a lot of credit for that goes to captain Santeri @indi969 Pendolin and Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen, who have stuck with it through the highs and lows. We were quite vocal about our doubts towards JYP before the season and are happy to have been in the wrong on this one. Against our expectations, rookie defensive pair Aapeli @Frans-Fin Landström & Jimi @J-_-Jamaltheman Rönkkönen proved to be very capable at the Elite level as both managed to keep up a high production pace while staying solid defensively. 

Join us for the first Playoff gameday TONIGHT at Twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG! We're kicking off with Nordic Stars against hREDS at 19:45 CET, after which JANO and Tunnel Vision will take the ice at 21:15 CET!

SportsGamers,

The Playoffs are coming in hot for the Lite division, and we're starting the action today! We've got 32 teams left in the competition and now it's time to start the real grind for that Championship, the biggest part of the prize pool, and a future spot in the bright lights of the Pro division!

Schedule

• RO32: 22.-25.1.2023
• RO16: 29.1-1.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 5.-8.2.2023
• Semifinals: 12.-15.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-22.2.2023

Without further ado, here are all of our matchups:

Six Sticks Misfits (1) vs  TROJANS (32)

Six Sticks Misfits is a high-scoring team with one of the more experienced rosters in the league. They should be able to advance with relative ease against Trojans in this first round matchup.

Prediction: 4-0 Six Sticks Misfits

 Hunters (2) vs  Resurrection (31)

This could be a cool one to watch. Hunters have managed to stay on top of their game all season long and as a result have deserved their #2 seed. Resurrection can be competitive on a good day, but have been a bit inconsistent. 

Prediction: 4-1 Hunters
 

 Gunners HC (3) vs  SCB eSports (30)

Gunners HC looked a bit slow to start the season, but really got up to speed towards the end. Can struggle with scoring, but managed to be the divisions best defensive squad. SCB has a massive challenge ahead of them, but they have a deep roster with several variations, so we'll see what they'll be able to pull out of their bag of tricks. 

Prediction: 4-0 Gunners HC
 

 Sodertalje SK (4) vs  Lemmenvelhot (29)

Sodertalje managed to really shut the doors defensively throughout the season and the team is in excellent form at the moment. They should be able to win this series against Lemmenvelhot, who were just a point away from a significantly higher seed due to the extremely tight situation that Group 4 finished in. 

Prediction: 4-0 Sodertalje SK
 

 Pirati Chomutov Esports (5) vs  Armada Hockey (28)

The offensive powerhouse Pirati Chomutov Esports can prove to be a problem for many teams in the postseason. The team relies on high-end individual skill and quick puck movement, which could spell trouble for Armada Hockey in this matchup. Armada have the ability to shut down high-end teams at their best, though. 

Prediction: 4-0 Pirati Chomutov Esports
 

 Vizio (6) vs  Sawolanche (27)

Vizio was one of the teams we expected to see a lot from at the start of the season, and they didn't disappoint. However, they have so much skill in the bank that they should be able to up their scoring numbers. Sawolanche could be in a world of trouble with these guys. 

Prediction: 4-0 Vizio

 Project X (7) vs  xBOTS (26)

Project X is the third highest scoring team in the league, while defense wasn't one of xBOTS' strong suits. If this turns into a shootout, the more experienced Project X will advance with ease.

Prediction: 4-0 Project X
 

 Prestige (8) vs  BIG Mistake (25)

We're in for a fun one here. Prestige have high-skill individuals who can score on command and win series by themselves. On the other side, BIG Mistake is a well composed team, who struggled to find their stride at times. BIG Mistake might be better equipped for Playoff hockey. 

Prediction: 2-4 BIG Mistake
 

 Technical Disaster (9) vs  DEG eSports (24)

Technical Disaster have built a well balanced team with puck moving skill even on the back end. DEG have had trouble keeping the puck out of their own net at times, but could be able to keep up in a scoring race. This will come down to which team is ready to defend with more patience. 

Prediction: 4-1 Technical Disaster
 

 RoKi Esports (10) vs  EHC Dinamo Riga (23)

RoKi played an excellent regular season in a tough group with Six Sticks Misfits and Pirati Chomutov running away with the top two spots. They had

Prediction: 4-2 RoKi Esports
 

 Neptune Hockey (11) vs  Unique (22)

This could end up being a highly competitive matchup, between two very similar teams. Both squads have some high skill players in their roster and they've found a way to gel together throughout the season. Neptune Hockey found a way to win more tough matchups in the regular season, so we'll give them the slight edge here. 

Prediction: 4-3 Neptune Hockey
 

 Timrå IK Esport (12) vs  Blessed Suedis (21)

Timrå IK excels at special teams and that form alone could be enough to decide this series, if they are able to keep it up. Blessed Suedis will not be giving up easily and they have shown in the regular season, that they are able to challenge good teams. 

Prediction: 4-2 Timrå IK Esport
 

 EHC Kloten eSports (13) vs  Stone Age (20)

EHC Kloten eSports are an offensive minded squad, who were the second highest scoring team in Group 3. This Swiss squad is statistically way ahead of Stone Age at the moment, but the mammoths might be able to utilize their experience to gain an edce in some games. 

Prediction: 4-3 EHC Kloten eSports
 

 Skelleftea AIK (14) vs  Herforder Ice Dragons (19)

Skelleftea AIK can at best be the perfect Playoff team, who are able to shut down the neutral zone and be opportunistic with their own chances. They'll be a good test for Herforder Ice Dragons in this one, so we'll see which team eventually comes out on top. 

Prediction: 4-2 Skelleftea AIK
 

 Purification (15) vs  Lions Academy (18)

Despite Purification coming into this series as the higher seed, they have dropped off in form towards the end of the season. Lions, on the other hand have been great and are coming in with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10, which is why we're giving them the edge. 

Prediction: 3-4 Lions Academy
 

 Ultimatum (16) vs  NOSTREETSPORTS (17)

This is a very tough matchup, that could end up going either way. Both teams have put forth a very balanced campaign, but Ultimatum has been the slightly better team offensively throughout the regular season. If they are able to keep that up, they'll come away with the win. 

Prediction: 4-2 Ultimatum
 

SportsGamers,

It is now time to turn to the final stages of this ECL '23 Core Season and we will try here to go through some facts for each series.

Schedule

• RO32: 22.-26.1.2023
• RO16: 29.1-2.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 5.-9.2.2023
• Semifinals: 12.-16.2.2023
• Finals: 19.-23.2.2023

 Cheeky Grinders (1) vs  Ambri eSports (16)
By beating Deggendorfer in his last outing and forcing the German team to a final overtime, the Swiss from Ambri managed to qualify for the playoffs in extremis and despite a chaotic journey during the season. But the fight will be difficult for the Swiss against the best formation of the regular season. Admittedly Ambri managed to extract a point in overtime during their confrontation but the Finns who have lost only four times during the season should advance without too much difficulty.

Facts
- Cheeky Grinders has three players who exceeded 75 points in the regular season: @Ekifoukka (81), @Yaredhagos (80), @tonninen (78)
- Of all the teams qualified in the playoffs, Ambri is the team that has won the fewest faceoffs (40.82%)

 HC Korobka (2) vs  WarHeads (15)
What if this confrontation was much more balanced than it might seem? The Russians won the two games that opposed them to the Finns, including one after extra time, but the end of the season for Korobka showed a team that seemed to run out of steam. Winners of their first fourteen games, the Russians then experienced relatively unexpected difficulties. WarHeads is a recent team but seems to have grown in strength over the season.

Facts
- @lordkomar91, for Korobka, is the best scorer of the entire regular season with 93 points (50+43)
- With 81.98% of saves @QzRiiot, the French goalkeeper of WarHeads, had the best of his seven ECL seasons

 Hannover Indians eSports (3) vs  Black Hurricanes (14)

Hannover came close to finishing first in their group at the expense of Korobka. The Germans had a few upheavals during their season but never really seemed to be in real danger. Their balanced team has a powerful attack and a solid defense coupled with a very good goalkeeper. For the Finns of Black Hurricanes the start of the season was relatively peaceful but the end was a failure with eight consecutive defeats at the end of the calendar. Let's hope for this team that a breath of fresh air will help them in the playoffs, otherwise their first round may be complicated.

Facts
- @MMTS, for Hanover, totals 86 points in its first season in ECL.
- With 1-7-2, the Black Hurricanes worst L10 record in the playoffs.

 Predators (4) vs  Remparts de Tours Esport (13)
The formation of Predators is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous. They score quite a bit but at the same time also concede a few goals. Predators have the best defensive record in the entire league, just behind Olten. They are the only ones, with the Pirates, to have beaten Cheeky Grinders in regular time in the Gr.2. For its part, Tours is a team that has had the experience of the Lite division. The all-French team experienced an irregular championship but has, especially in the net, resources capable of turning this series to its advantage. To do this, he will have to outwit one of the best defenses today.

Facts
- There are eight different nationalities in the Predators roster.
- With 283 games played at SportsGamer, Tours is the most experienced team of all those qualified in the playoffs.

 North Sawo Lions (5) vs  HC Pustertal eSports (12)
The North Sawo Lions season has been consistent and even linear. A few missteps but overall a coherent course and efficient statistics in all areas of the game, except perhaps in the net where the goalkeeper is below 78% of saves. On the other hand, the Austrian team of Pustertal had a difficult start with seven defeats in their first eight games before the team finally found their rhythm. If Pustertal manages to stay on their end-of-season trend, they could come and upset the established order and perhaps eliminate an opposing team that has had a better run, but Sawo Lions won't let themselves be defeated easily.

Facts
- North Sawo Lions had just 111 hits on the season, the lowest total in the entire Core Division. They are also the least penalized in the entire championship.
- Pustertal used a total of eleven players during the season, one of the highest numbers in the Core Championship

 Deggendorfer SC Esports (6) vs  Fenris Wolves (11)
The remaining three series are fully open and each of the six teams can advance to the next round or stay back and leave to play golf prematurely. However, Deggendorfer's German team showed muscles during the season and their number of goals scored clearly indicates a tendency to hit the scoreboard hard. On the other side of the fence, Sweden's Fenris Wolves scored far less than their opponents but also conceded far fewer goals. However, it is difficult to make this type of comparison between two teams that have not played in the same group.

Facts
- Deggendorfer won few faceoffs, only 45.37% during the season
- On the other hand, Fenris Wolves was one of the good students in this sector, winning 54.69% of its face-offs

 EHC Olten eSports (7) vs  CapeTown Kings (10)
This is an incredible matchup. The best defense in the league against one of the best attacks. Olten is the only team to have conceded less than two goals per game. "Attack wins games but defense wins championships", so in this case the Swiss are one to watch. But opposite CapeTown has managed to score four goals in each of its matches. The initial balance weighs in favor of the Swiss but CapeTown are a patient team and build their game intelligently. The fight will be fierce.

Facts
- With four shutouts and 88.28% saves in twenty games, the Olten goalkeeper, @HousePro99, was undoubtedly the best goalkeeper of the season
- Only 67.65% efficiency in shorthanded play for CapeTown, the lowest total of teams qualified in the playoffs

 Pirates eSports (8) vs  MoDo Hockey (9)
Traditionally the last series of the playoffs tree is always the most open as the gaps between the two teams are so close. Offensively the favor goes to the Swedes who score more. But defensively the French did slightly better. However, it is a team that scores little and wins few faceoffs, thus having to suffer the rhythm of its opponent. But by beating Cheeky Grinders the Pirates showed solid skills. These are two teams that take few penalties but the superiority game of the Swedes is much better than that of the French.

Facts
- Formerly Cancun Hockey Club, the Pirates are the oldest French team in activity with a first ECL in 2018 and a total of eight participations in the ECL
- @MrXbox79 of MoDo is the player who scored the most powerplay goals during the season, 6, tied with @Mestar93 of Black Hurricanes

Schedule
 

• RO64: 22.-25.1.2023
• RO32: 29.2.-1.2.2023
• RO16: 5.-8.2.2023
• Quarterfinals: 12.-15.2.2023
• Semifinals: 19.-22.2.2023
• Finals: 26.2.-1.3.2023

SportsGamers,

Our inaugural ECL 1v1 season is in the books with the Top 4 Finals at the SportsGamer offices concluded. With plenty of people in attendance, four juggernauts of the community and one young and hungry challenger on the thumbsticks we were able to enjoy a wild night of 1v1 NHL 23 between the very best in the business. In the end, we were all taken by surprise by the 16-year-old Sisu @sisu33_ Nurminen, who not only took down his idol Erik @Eki Tammenpää in the semifinals, but managed to outclass Arttu @Artuzio Mustila in the Finals. The youngster has made an impressive entrance to the competitive scene during the first third of NHL 23, and there's certainly more to come!

So you've now managed to take down some pretty big names on your way to the Championship, how does that make you feel?

"It's f****** amazing! The whole time I played, I felt good and I just managed to play my own game. That's it!"

It really seemed like you were in your element and wasn't really challenged over the course of the night, talk a bit about how that went for you?

"Yeah, I was nervous when I was playing my first game, but then I got my own game going. I think when Eki got the 2-0 lead in that first game I flipped a switch and got my own game going."
 

Let's take a look back at @sisu33_'s road to the Championship:

Group Stage record:

9-0-0 (#3 seed)

Round 1

vs @JanEerikBanan 2-0

Round 2

vs @Tappu 2-0

Round 3

vs @NikkeDangles 2-0

Quarterfinals

vs @patee___ 2-0

Semifinals

vs @Eki 2-0

Finals

vs @Artuzio 2-0

SportsGamer would like to congratulate Sisu @sisu33_ Nurminen on a tremendous season and winning his first Championship, at his first ever LAN event appearance. A big thank you to all participating players, who made this tournament possible!

SportsGamers,

What a regular season we had in the ECL '23 Winter Pro season once again! Incredibly high stakes right until the end as we saw Arkham Asylum battling for a Playoff spot against Herlev Eagles and Be a Bro going for the group win in their matchup against Luleå Hockey Academy. In the end, only Be a Bro managed to succeed in the task they set out to accomplish, and now we're getting ready to see them going at it in the Playoffs. We've got several highly competitive matchups already in the first round, so let's all enjoy the action!

Schedule

• RO16: 19.-24.1.2023
• Quarterfinals: 26.-31.1.2023
• Semifinals: 2.-7.2.2023
• Finals: 12.-14.2.2023

A big thank you to @ripKeisari for collaborating on this preview. 

(1)  Be a Bro vs (8)  Bjorkloven Esport

The highly experienced Be a Bro have seemed to be in Playoff mode throughout the regular season and they've been able to clinch crucial points in tight matchups with a high percentage. They've went to overtime a total of 14 times this season and managed to win 11, which is a testament of their mental strength. Their goaltending is in great shape as @Svone10  put forth an impressive 85.27 SV% and on top of that, they've got one of the leagues most prolific offensive defensemen in @MCH_98, who has been dominating the defensemen scoring stats for a few seasons already. Be a Bro seems to like putting the puck on net and centerman @Sanezh has the propensity to find himself in the lane for deflections quite often.

Björklöven have had somewhat of a turbulent season, making adjustments mid-season and eventually finding great form towards the latter half. This club hailing from Umeå, Sweden is coming into the Playoffs on an eight game winning streak and they'll be betting a lot on leading scorer @Pappen to make things happen for them. In order to adjust for the Playoffs, Björklöven will need to tighten things up defensively.

Prediction: Be a Bro advances 4-1.

(1)  Renascor vs (8)  Tohtorit

The Russian side Renascor have been patiently developing their game over the past few seasons and they are slowly but surely showing signs of reaching their prime. @Motov and @Virusactive are some of their most efficient players and both of them excel with the puck on offense. @Stigi has been a great addition to the team and with his first full Pro regular season in the books, he is actually leading the team in scoring, now he'll just need to keep it up in the Playoffs.

Tohtorit went into the season as one of the teams expected to be a contender, but they struggled massively at the start of their campaign. Towards the end of the regular season, this highly skilled roster managed to find their game and eventually cashed in enough points to squeak into the Playoffs. Tohtorit is currently running an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, so they're definitely coming in hot. This is a team with very high individual skill, and they are definitely able to expose teams for their mistakes. It'll remain to be seen if the playstyle will be suitable for the Playoffs, though. 

Prediction: Renascor advances 4-2.

(2)  Nemesis vs (7)  HanaaHC

Nemesis played an excellent regular season throughout and are league leading in GA/GP mostly due to their great goaltending tandem and very effective team defense. Both @Viltzup and @JaxonRules93 are sporting a SV% above 85 an it'll be interesting to see if they'll be sharing responsibilities in the Playoffs also. @temppanen has been great for Nemesis, leading the team in points and managing to always be dangerous with the puck.

HanaaHC have established themselves as a consistent contender in Pro and even made an appearance in Elite Qualifiers due to their Top 4 finish last season. They'll definitely be looking for even more this time around, but some struggles were evident in the regular season. Both @eissi83 and @jg697000 (Gresu__) are highly capable goalies and have shared the duty throughout the season, so Hanaa could go with either one. @Rytze_ has been their offensive powerhouse and quarterbacks their offense most of the time, can score on command. 

Prediction: Nemesis advances 4-3.

(2)  Golden Nights vs (7)  Deadly Phantoms

It's been an excellent regular season for Golden Nights, who have been able to improve on top of their solid core season after season. Their newest acquisition @Timez (Timoccio) has succeeded big time, whereas @kkostiiii has been able to elevate himself into the discussion of top Pro goaltenders. Golden's strength is definitely a very balanced offensive trio, coupled with their determined defensive play, evident by the third lowest GA/GP in the division. 

For the famous Deadly Phantoms, it's been a whirlwind of a season. They've had heavy rotation in their squad with over 10 players making an appearance. Despite some turbulence, they've been able to make the Playoffs as expected, and that's where they've famously been able to perform even better. Long-time top defenseman @xXPsykoSkillsXx carried the team as the play driver in the regular season and will need to continue unless they'll find a new name that steps up. Then, there's always the server question that comes into play, will DPH be able to utilize that against Golden Nights?

Prediction: Golden Nights advances 4-3.

(3)  Örebro Hockey vs (6)  Memento

Örebro Hockey has really found themselves as an excellent offensive powerhouse this season. They're lead by comeback player @Rimpe up front, who clearly won both the goal scoring and points titles in the regular season, and has the experience and skill to continue inflicting damage in the Playoffs. This could be a dark horse to pick in the Championship race.

Memento is an interesting combination of players, who have somewhat struggled to find success elsewhere and that's why we are a bit surprised by their success thus far. @Toivonen_ (Toikkaaz) is the teams driving player, who is most responsible for scoring and likes to stay on the puck. We know what goaltender @Hullued has been able to accomplish in the past and he could be on his way back to the top with the great form he's been able to find in net this season. 

Prediction: Örebro Hockey advances 4-1.

(3)  IK Oskarshamn vs (6)  Leksands IF

Before the season we didn't put much faith in IK Oskarshamn, which is why their great regular season campaign has come as somewhat of a surprise to many. They've been able to build a balanced team, where experience in @snippystatue meets youth in @Chevikov (Hikoilija) & @Ted Kempe(Smayk99). Most importantly, IK Oskarshamn will need to stay out of the penalty box, since they were the most penalized team in the regular season. It hasn't come back to bite them yet, but the Playoffs are a different beast.

Leksands IF have had a rollercoaster of a season, but their rock has been goaltender @I-Lillebror-I all season long. He could even be in the discussion for best goalie in the division at this point with an above 86 SV% and 5 shutouts to his name. The older brother @Bror1326, on the other hand was able to generate offense for the club and was the teams leading scorer with a 30+38=68 stat line. Their playstyle might have to be slightly revised for the Playoffs and captain @iSvamp could have to pull out his old hockey bible in order for them to shut down opposing teams when the going gets rough.

Prediction: Leksands IF advances 3-4.

(4)  Djurgården Hockey vs (5)  Herlev Eagles

Djurgården Hockey have been a consistent performer despite seeing some quite heavy roster changes almost every season. This time returnee @Strumpan87 and new recruit @pakjiz have been able to slot in quite nicely, helping the team succeed. DIF have been an excellent special teams squad, being best on the penalty kill and third best on the powerplay, which will definitely keep Herlev on their toes in this series. 

After some wild events on the last night of play, Herlev Eagles were able to pave their way into 5th place and got a rather favourable matchup against DIF in the first round. The changes Herlev has made have definitely strengthened the team and @Jjomppa was able to slot in very nicely alongside @Dreamickie and @vibholm10, who are once again expected to be able to carry the team in the Playoffs. Herlev have managed to play good on the penalty kill, but still has the highest goals against average of all Playoff teams. They'll need to adress that if they want to move forward.

Prediction: Herlev Eagles advances 2-4. 

(4)  VISU Gaming vs (5)  RCTIC

We're used to seeing VISU Gaming perform well and it's no surpeise that they've paved their way into the Playoffs once again. @MuKiMaisteri is one of the division's best forwards and he has a nose for the net unlike many others. He should be able to find those decisive goals in tough situations. @Tanski87 has been able to slot in well at his new winger position. He brings experience and leadership to an already experienced squad. Look out for this team, who are fit for fight in the Playoff environment. 

RCTIC saw some big changes in the offseason and for a while it looked like they might not participate, but they've been able to find their stride and eventually even make the Playoffs. Dynamic duo @yrjoo & @Limbe65 have performed well up front and we'll be excited to watch them go to work in the Playoffs again. We'll have to wait and see if RCTIC will play @layout, or if they'll go with @FakiiR1 and @IKarkkiI at the back end. Young @Ricco is their goaltender, who has been able to find a very high level of play, but can he keep it together in the Playoffs?

Prediction: VISU Gaming advances 4-2.

SportsGamers,

With the ECL '23 Winter season moving on towards the Playoffs in our 6v6 divisions, we are already in for the Finals on the 1v1 side of things. The 1v1 Finals will be hosted as a single day event this upcoming Friday, January 20th, with the top 4 players in attendance live in Helsinki. The full event will be streamed live over at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG.

Ahead of the Finals on Friday, we received the unfortunate news from #1 seed Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund, who confirmed his inability to participate in the Finals event. For this reason, the next best seed from the Quarterfinals stage, Erik @Eki Tammenpää will replace him. The Finals seeding will change as follows:

1. Sisu @sisu33_ Nurminen
2. Arttu @Artuzio Mustila 
3. Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen 
4. Erik @Eki Tammenpää 

Due to the unfortunate news from Eken, this opens up an interesting and very rare second chance for Eki, who previously opened up about his disappointment and struggles with finding his game on Twitter after taking a clear loss against fellow finalist Hansulinho in the Quarterfinals. Eki now joins the Finals as the lowest seed, which shuffles the matchups and he'll now end up going against the youngster of the bunch - Sisu33, only 16 years old hailing from Lahti, Finland. The wunderkind seems to have taken the community by storm during the first third of NHL 23 as he's really managed to come out guns blazing in several tournaments already. This Bruins fan is now in for his first ever LAN event in the good company of several of the scenes most prestigious players.

Artuzio, much alike Eki is a player who has managed to keep up his competitive level and seems to always perform at his best when the stakes are the highest. He managed to beat some highly skilled players like Tomi @tombo_02 Laitinen and Saku @Sagee95 Björn on his way to this stage, so it's safe to say that he'll be warmed up for his matchup against Hansulinho on Friday night. The OG Hansulinho on the other hand is also coming into the Finals in great form, having his Quarterfinals win against Eki in his back pocket as his most recent triumph. The Artuzio vs Hansulinho Semifinals series is going to be an exciting matchup, where two fierce competitors will clash for a spot in the limelight. 
 

Schedule

• Friday 20.1. @ the SportsGamer studio in Espoo, Finland
  • Semifinals: 18:00CET
  • Finals: 20:00CET

We reached out to the players ahead of the Finals event and definitely got some interesting insight into the upcoming series between multi-Champion Eki and the new kid on the block Sisu.

"My journey in the 1v1 ECL has been surprisingly good so far and I think my game has improved all the time. I'm quite a new face in these tournaments so I think I've been a dark horse throughout. The toughest opponent I've faced thus far is definitely Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen due to his offensive skill, where you have to be alert in your own zone at all times. I haven't played Eki much at all, but I've watched him on Twitch and YouTube a lot so my expectations are to play at my best level and give him a hard matchup", Sisu pays homage to his Semifinals opponent Eki.

"This is an entirely new situation for me, where I lost in the Quarterfinals and still got the chance to squeak into the semis! It's a shame that Eken couldn't make it as he's definitely deserving of the spot, and I wish him well in his recovery. Hansu has been my toughest opponent in the tournament as I lost quite clearly to him in the Quarters. The game clearly suits his playstyle and I got some flashbacks to playing prime Hansu from years back. To be honest, my game has been off during NHL 23 and I feel like most games against top players are 50/50 for me. I've done a lot of work to find the competitive edge, but my game isn't where I want it to be yet. I've played Sisu five times in my career and all of them in the last two weeks. Four of the games I've lost and all of them were one goal games, he's a tough opponent, who plays a good game. I think his inexperience from a LAN environment and bigger tournaments is an advantage for me and I expect to be able to win the series", Eki goes reflects on developing his game and the upcoming series against an unfamiliar player. 

SportsGamers,

With only three days left of the ECL '23 Winter Elite regular season, most teams are left with only a few games remaining in their campaign, while Reality Check HC were the first ones to finish already on Thursday last week. The team in their first Elite season managed to secure a Playoff spot with relative ease and are now resting up and getting ready to make an impact in the Playoffs, quite likely against the Swiss ZSC Esports if the Lions are able to keep up their current form, which is excellent with a nine game winning streak, by the way. This is a great performance by Reality Check for a team consisting of quite a few Elite rookies. 

The defending Champions hREDS uncharacteristically dropped points in two matchups last week, losing both games against Färjestad BK and dropping one game against GOONS. This is something we haven't seen the team do in quite some time and the REDS, who are so known for their consistency could be heading towards their worst regular season record since ECL 11, when they were the third wheel chasing the dominant HAVU Gaming and FILADELPHIA. Despite their difficult past week, for which the reasons are unknown, the REDS are still on track to finish in the top 3 and should be on track for another Championship push. However, Tunnel Vision are looking to be strong candidates to clinch that regular season win. The young squad lead by Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen up front is on a 16-game win streak at the moment and with their main competition already out of the way, the rest of their schedule is looking rather favourable. If they manage to keep their streak going, they'll also end up reaching the Elite regular season point record set by FILADELPHIA back in ECL 12 with 58 points and a 28-0-2 record. 

Outside of the very top, it's looking exciting near the Playoff line, where Roots Gaming, GOONS and JYP Jyväskylä are in the main fight for that last spot. JYP still has four full matchups to go, while GOONS only have three each, so all of these teams still have a lot of points left on the table. It's tough to call which way it'll end up going at the moment, but GOONS seem to be the hottest team out of them all at the moment, with wins against hREDS, Luleå Hockey and Färjestad BK in the past week. For the badgers, Teemu @tkantola Kantola has managed to prove the naysayers wrong and shown that he is able to compete and produce at the Elite level. Highly experienced goaltender Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu also put forth a heroic effort in their win against hREDS with 23 saves and a SV% of 92%.

At the bottom of the pack, the struggle is real for Luleå Hockey, Växjö Lakers and Unlucky Boys. Unlucky Boys especially are without a doubt the coldest team in the league and it really seems like their season took a disastrous turn after the halfway point. They are currently on a seven game losing streak with a massive game against Luleå Hockey still in to come. After a long season of tough times, we're glad to see that Falun Coal Miners and Färjestad BK have managed to claw their way out from the bottom of the pack and the latter still has five entire matchups left to play in the last few days of the regular season. They could even end up sneaking into the Playoffs if they go on a tear, but we're expecting the Karlstad team to at least claw their way out of the relegation zone. 

Standings - Week 5

1.  hREDS (+3) 21-4-1

2.  Tunnel Vision (+2) 20-0-2

3.  Reality Check (-1) 18-8-4

4.  Frölunda HC (-3) 18-3-3

5.  Nordic Stars (+3) 14-9-3

6.  JANO (-1) 12-7-7

7.  ZSC Esports (-) 15-9-0

8.  ISO Esports (+1) 9-10-9

9.  GOONS (+3) 11-9-4

10.  JYP Jyvaskyla (-4) 11-8-3

11.  Roots Gaming (-) 11-10-3

12.  Falun Coal Miners (+1) 9-11-4

13.  Unlucky Boys HC (-3) 8-13-3

14.  Färjestad BK (+2) 8-9-3

15.  Växjö Lakers (-) 7-14-5

16.  Luleå Hockey (-2) 4-13-5

Tonight, ECL '23 Winter Elite returns for some important matchups with big points on the line. Unlucky Boys takes on Nordic Stars, whereas Tunnel Vision are taken on by Färjestad BK, who have slowly found their form in the later matchup. Join us for all the action at 19:45 CET as usual. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

With the ECL '23 Winter Elite season moving into the last full week of competition in the Regular season, some of the predicted top teams are in excellent form. We've also got some surprising appearances around the top of the standings, and things are starting to look dire towards the bottom. Join us for this overview into the action over the past week!

There's no doubt about hREDS being one the hottest teams in the league at the moment, with losses only to main rivals Frölunda HC and Tunnel Vision along their campaign thus far. In their last few matchups, JANO was seemingly able to mount some opposition against the reigning Champions, but in their usual way, hREDS were able to clear the minor obstacle with an overtime win. It's looking like Tunnel Vision is the only team to compare in terms of form at the moment, with a similar record in their latest matches, but their offense seems to be clicking slightly better and they've been able to clear opponents with relative ease. 

Roots Gaming had an absolute disaster of a week after previously managing to climb the ranks, the four losses against JYP and ISO, who can be considered their main competition in the fight for the last playoff spots this season, will definitely leave a mark moving forward. Next in line for Roots should be Växjö, ZSC and Luleå, which should be a great opportunity for this squad to get back on track and pick up some much needed points.

Unlucky Boys haven't had the best start top the new year, with only one regulation win in their three full matchups. JANO and JYP Jyväskylä are fighting for similar positioning with them, so those lost points will definitely sting in that tight mid-table race. The burger boys will be going up against Reality Check HC in our featured broadcast matches tonight with massive points up for grabs. Reality Check are currently sitting in a surprising second place in the standings, but with 24 games already played. The team is easily slotting into the Playoffs based on point average in their first Elite season, though. V-V @vvlampela Lampela (cTunkeilija) is in great form for the black and yellow with a 25 goals and 48 points, earning him second position in the scoring race at the moment. Reality Check HC have also been helped greatly by goaltender Sebastian @FINSeRe Remes, who is second to only Frölunda's Casper @ICappeI Lundgren with an impressive 85.99 SV% on a much bigger sample size. The experienced goaltender is also topping the tables in terms of shutouts with three of those to his name thus far. 

Things are looking dire for several established Swedish teams that have fallen towards the bottom of the pack. Falun especially, who have only 10 games remaining in their regular season, suffered recent tough losses against GOONS, who they are in direct competition with. They've now got big games against Luleå and Växjö coming up, and this experienced roster will definitely be throwing all they've got at these matchups. Adding Tim @Timasy Hess before the new year has helped them slightly and eight points collected in their five latest matchups is a step forward for the Coal Miners, clinging to their Elite spot at this point. 

Standings - Week 4

1.  Frölunda HC (-) 15-2-3

2.  Reality Check (+4) 13-7-4

3.  hREDS (-1) 14-1-1

4.  Tunnel Vision (-1) 12-0-2

5.  JANO (+5) 9-6-5

6.  JYP Jyvaskyla (+3) 11-5-0

7.  ZSC Esports (+4) 11-9-0

8.  Nordic Stars (+3) 9-5-2

9.  ISO Esports (-1) 7-7-6

10.  Unlucky Boys HC (-3) 8-7-3

11.  Roots Gaming (-7) 7-6-3

12.  GOONS (-) 7-8-3

13.  Falun Coal Miners (+2) 5-11-4

14.  Luleå Hockey (-1) 4-5-3

15.  Växjö Lakers (-1) 4-9-3

16.  Färjestad BK (-3) 4-7-3

Tonight, ECL '23 Winter Elite returns for some important matchups with big points on the line. Reality Check HC takes on Unlucky Boys, whereas GOONS are taken on by the league leading Frölunda HC in the later matchup. Join us for all the action at 19:45 CET as usual. See you at www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG!

This report is written based on the status before the games on Sunday, January 8th.

The ECL '23 Winter Pro season is already leading towards it's end, but we're still coming at you with a slightly delayed Mid-season report! Let's check in on how these teams have progressed throughout the season, and which one's have surprised us the most, whether it is for the good or the bad.

Both groups are looking very evenly matched, with a couple of teams pulling away with the lead in group 1, but in group 2 it's looking like an all out free-for-all between five or six teams for the top seed. At this point, not that many teams have mathematically secured their spots in the Playoffs, and neither have any of them been mathematically eliminated. For some, that is looking like a long shot though.

Quite surprisingly, HanaaHC and RCTIC who participated in the Elite Qualifier ahead of the season haven't managed to own up to the level of play expected. While both are currently in Playoff position, our season preview forecasted these two together with Renascor to top their respective groups. At the moment, though, only Renascor has managed to perform.

Group 1

In this group, the fight for the top spot will most likely come down to three teams, as Örebro Hockey, Be a Bro and Luleå Hockey are all looking like they're on good pace to grab that crown. Most of the games between these three top dogs have already been played, so it'll now come down to how they can stack up against the rest of the competition in the group. Örebro are currently topping the tables with a few games in hand on the other two, which means Be a Bro and Luleå hold the advantage in that sense, and could end up making an overtake down the main stretch. Timi @Rimpe Rimpeläinen has once again made a successful comeback to the ECL ice after one season of absence. Last time we've seen the experienced allrounder, he spent the ECL '22 Winter season on defense for YMCA Esports in Elite, and now he's leading the league in scoring from his familiar left winger spot for Örebro Hockey. Leksand IF's Linus @Bror1326 Nidalen is closest in pursuit, but still eight points behind.

In addition to a strong leading scorer, Leksand IF have also managed to string together a great campaign this season. They've got great offense, but also one of the best in the league in net with Jesper @I-Lillebror-I Nidalen in net. The young goaltender has kept his head cool throughout the season with an impressive 88,08 SV% and 9/12 breakaways saved. He's also currently in the 4 shutout club alongside only Djurgården's Matthias @Tizjeflen Johansson, Arkham's Juuso @TheSpeedo Sirkola and Nemesis' Joel @JaxonRules93 Jackson.

A pleasant surprise in Group 1 has definitely been Ace Hockey and their highly efficient offensive play with Wiktor @Dehliiin Dehlin as their top dog as usual. The Swedish team is also boasting an impressive 45,5% powerplay percentage, which is contrasted by a lackluster penalty kill at only 63,64%. Currently, this squad is sitting just outside the Playoff picture and their form does not indicate good things. If they'll find a way to turn things around down the main stretch, they could be one of the last teams squeaking in. In somewhat similar position we've got Tohtorit, who have established themselves as rather consistent performers at the Pro level. They had a catastrophic start to their season, but have definitely managed to course-correct, now running with a five win streak, hoping to continue on that past and push them into the Playoffs. 

The most obvious letdowns in the first group are Mora IK and Frölunda HC Academy, without a doubt. These teams have struggled in almost every department and especially Mora IK can't seem to even buy a goal with a measly 1.3 goals for average. Frölunda HC Adademy, on the other hand are also struggling heavily with their defense, being the worst in the league at 4.94 goals against per game.

Group 2

At the moment, it's looking like things might come down to the wire between five or six different teams to clutch up for that top spot. Nemesis are the provisional holders of that #1 seed at the moment, but with teams like VISU Gaming, IK Oskarshamn, Memento and Renascor chasing them down, it'll remain to be seen how long lived that joy will be. For Nemesis, the good thing is that they are seemingly all set for the Playoffs already with several highly competitive matchups in their back pocket already. They're not a team that will outgun their opponents, but they have honed their skills and evolved into a group that can win those low-scoring battles and turn games in their favor with the little things they do. IK Oskarshamn were one of the teams that caught some flack in our season preview, but they've definitely shown us wrong. Henri @Chevikov (Hikoilija_) Heikkilä is a rookie winger, who has taken the step to being their heart-and-soul player and is currently leading the team from the front on an impressive run with the league's best special teams number at 133,91. Oskarshamn is currently fighting for the top spot, but should end up in a favorable spot for the Playoffs at the minimum.

Some of the more experienced squads including Central European juggernauts Deadly Phantoms and Inter Iceland, have surprisingly found themselves performing below expectations. DPH have several GCL championships and plenty of Elite experience in their back pockets, but they haven't managed to find their way back into the European top 16 just yet, and lost superstar winger Tim @Timasy Hess in a transfer to Elite squad Falun Coal Miners earlier this season, which will trip up their campaign a bit. The Phantoms will be looking to fight their way into the Playoffs, where they'll be able to employ their tough style of play and wear down their opponents in long seven game series. Inter Iceland, on the other hand, also feature some high scoring skill in the form of both Stef(ph)ans @Stefan_397(ViSiOnZ97_) Hämmerle and @Krinke Krinke, who for one reason or another just haven't hit their stride this season. The team is in a tough spot and look like they'll be in a relegation spot with high probability. 

Björklöven Esport is another team who have managed to establish themselves in the Pro division, but are struggling to find a footing this season. They had some heavy roster turnover in the offseason and seemingly haven't found a way to click just yet. With 10 games still left in the season, there's time for this roster to find a way into the Playoffs, but they'll need to start improving drastically if they wish to do so. 

There's still plenty of virtual hockey left to play in the last week of the regular season, and a lot is on the line for all teams involved. This Tuesday, you'll be able to follow along once again in our weekly ECL '23 Winter Pro broadcast with some big games in the showcase!