Sportsgamer Community,

A total of 12 teams competed in Division I at the start of GCL 11 to secure the coveted title as the best team in the DACH region.
In addition to ECL elite team Black Jacks, the three big favorites for the title - defending champions Deadly Phantoms and cup winners HC Lugano eSports - were known in advance.
After a few exciting weeks, the decision has now been made:
The Black Jacks got their revenge for last season and reclaimed the championship after six thrilling games against the defending champions.

The main round

After just 22 games played in the main round, the Black Jacks secured the best starting point for the knockout phase.
Their only defeat of the season came against the Nürnberg IceTigers eSports after extra time with a 1-2 loss.
The Deadly Phantoms also snatched a point in an overtime win.
The result was 63 out of a possible 66 points, which put the fear of God into all opponents after the main round.
They were followed by the Deadly Phantoms by a whopping 12 points, who also lived up to their role as favorites and made it into the playoffs without much trouble. Nuremberg, HC Lugano eSports, Red Bull Munich, and SC Bern also qualified directly for the quarter-finals.
After the pre-playoffs, DEG eSports (7th) and Hockeyholics (9th) followed.

The Playoffs

Without any surprises, the favorites kept the upper hand in all series.
The Black Jacks and Phantoms swept their rivals and advanced to the next round after just four games, while Nuremberg lost two close games to SC Bern but put in a very strong performance throughout and recorded clear victories.
Munich was already leading 3:1 in their clash against HC Lugano, but then completely lost the plot and let the series slip out of their grasp, with the better-placed team coming out on top here too.

In the semi-finals, the Black Jacks took revenge on their compatriots for their elimination in the previous season.
Four out of six games were decided by just one goal, meaning that the games were always exciting and remained open until the end.
Although Lugano fought fiercely, the Black Jacks' individual class ultimately prevailed, enabling them to secure their ticket to the final with a 4:2 win
and take revenge on their rivals.
In comparison, the second semi-final match was surprisingly clear-cut:
The Deadly Phantoms progressed to the final round with a 4:0 win and thus remained unbeaten in the playoffs.
The defending champions showed with strong results (2:1 OT, 4:2, 4:1, 7:2) that they are a force to be reckoned with in the final.

The Final

The final series between the two DACH legends starts on Monday, 1 April.
The Black Jacks took a 2:1 lead in the first three games of the series.
After a solid 3:0 for the Black Jacks, a rather close 2:1 followed. 
The Deadly Phantoms took advantage of this close game and were able to win game three with a goal by @willywonkaaa in overtime.
Both teams relied on their defense and their goal-getters at all times and it was clear to every spectator that this would not only be an incredibly exciting final series but that both opponents would certainly not make it easy for each other. 

The grand final then culminated on Wednesday evening and the remaining games were played.
However, the Black Jacks came up trumps there, only dropping one more game to reclaim the championship after a title-less season.
The defending champions, the Deadly Phantoms, were only able to secure game 5 and challenge their opponents in a final thrilling game.
Tim @Timasy Hess was the guarantor of success here, scoring both goals to send the Black Jacks to the title!

The final series thus ended 5:2 in favor of the Black Jacks.

 

Guaranteed Success

Both in the regular season (113 points) and in the playoffs (41 points), Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg secured the top scorer title and was thus the driving force in the Black Jacks' strong offense.
At the same time, captain Max @Toneee9 Tonitz followed his example with the defenders and added a further 46 points in the main round and 22 points in the knockout phase, closely followed by defense partner  Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (40 & 16 points).
After a solid main round (86.73% save percentage, 1.08 GAA), Simeon  @Simbanho Vorselman backed up his defencemen in goal, especially in the playoffs, where he even went one better statistically with a save percentage of over 88% and the same goals against average, while Johan @McSavid Rundqvist achieved even better stats in his 10 main round appearances (90.72% save percentage, 0.9 GAA).

Conclusion

Accepting the role of favorites and leaving no doubt:
The Black Jacks are currently the measure of all things in the DACH region and deservedly secured the championship title as well as the double after winning the cup. Not only are the statistics of all team members outstanding across the board, but the new title winners rarely left any doubt about the outcome of a game.
Even after setbacks, the Black Jacks were not fazed and bid a fitting farewell to Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi's last season for the club with the title.


Here are the two GMs' opinions for you:

Deadly Phantoms, Denis @CCBow-501 Roethele:
"On the whole, the result of the final series is perfectly acceptable. The Black Jacks deserved to win thanks to their individual class and a strong goalie. It doesn't help that we were behind in every game except for Game 5 and were chasing a deficit."

The Black Jacks, Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg:
"First of all, congratulations to the Phantoms on another fantastic season. Represented in every final since GCL 2, 6 championship titles - nothing more needs to be said. All in all, we are very happy to win our 4th championship. In GCL 10 last summer, the whole team was a bit out of steam at the end of the season. It's all the better that we're now "back on top" and have been able to utilize our full skillset, even after our strong season in the ECL'24 Winter Elite. We were able to secure seed #1 in the regular season. Our defense was solid and our offense got rolling from day 1. In the playoffs, of course, there's a different wind and you tend to come from an organized defense. In the semi-final in particular, we wanted to take revenge for last season, which we did very well. In the final, it was clear to everyone on the team that we wanted to give Sven Julmi his 4th GCL title as a farewell present. And as in the previous three finals against the Phantoms, we were able to impose our game and, in my opinion, more than deserved to win the series in our favor. Special praise to our goalie tandem. Simba with 3 shutouts in the final - I don't think that happens too often.
And at this point, a big thank you to Sven for all the years as captain, as well as Tschitsch for all his time at ZSC eSports and The Black Jacks, especially since he helped out again this season as right-wing in important games!"
 

Congratulations from our side on winning the title again and the double!


Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Göpfert

German Ice Gladiators are your GCL 11 Division II Champions!
 

SportsGamers,

GCL 11 is on its finishing straight and besides 6v6 action in Division I and II the 1v1 Finals were played in the first week of April! Seed #1 Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg clashed with newcomer and seed #2 Dominik @no-man-ger Claus! While the defending Champion Keuschemisch finished his regular season with a perfect record of 12-0-0-0, NoManGer who played his first 1v1 Tournament on SportsGamer.gg surprisingly finished right behind him with a 9-1-1-1 record. Claus played a quite succesful 6v6 Division II campaign with Huskies eSports and only fell short to veteran Tim @Timasy Hess and the Finals opponent in his first 12 games. No-Man-Ger who went with the Tampa Bay Lightning during the whole tournament, managed to sweep @HousePro99 in the Quarterfinals and beat @maqareal in three games on his way to the GCL 11 Final. The Black Jacks Forward Berg started with the Toronto Maple Leafs and changed to the Carolina Hurricanes after the Trade Deadline in the NHL which later became clear to be the right choice with his Gameplay. Two Sweeps against @LookandLearn1 and @TacoLaBonita secured back-to-back Finals for the 27 year old Cologne native.  All games were a good back and forth, but the defending Champion really utilized his scoring chances very effectively - especially in Game 1 as he secured a 6-1 victory. The newcomer reacted well and came back from a two-goal-deficit twice in the second game as he turned the game around and forced the deciding game 3 with a 5-4 win over Berg - which was his first loss during the whole GCL 11 season. As experienced as Keuschemisch is he adjusted his gameplay in the deciding matchup and claimed his second GCL 1v1 title with a convincing 5-1 win! SportsGamer thanks all participating players and @Keuschemisch on his back-to-back title in the German Championship League. Also a big shoutout to @no-man-ger who played an amazing first season in competetive NHL gaming in the DACH area!

Keuschemisch's road to the Championship:

Regular season record: 12-0-0-0 (#1 seed)

Quarterfinals: vs @LookandLearn1 2-0 (3-2 & 8-2)

Semifinals: vs @TacoLaBonita 2-0 (7-0 & 9-3)

Finals: vs @no-man-ger 2-1 (6-1, 4-5 & 5-1)

Once again a big thank you to all participating players and see you next season in GCL 12!

Dear SportsGamers,

another GCL Season is about to kick off. In GCL 10 we have seen the record champions of The Deadly Phantoms finishing on Top of the DACH area after an exciting final against HC Lugano Esports. Their Swiss counterpart managed to crown themselves GCL Cup Champion earlier that season after a quite surprising win against The Black Jacks (formerly ZSC Esports). While the Luganesi were quite a newcomer among the juggernauts in the German Community, DPH and TBJ battled for that top spot in the German Championship League almost since Day 1. An important part for their longevity and success are their respective Captains. Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi who are our Cover Athletes for GCL 11! Both played many seasons on the highest level of virtual European Hockey and decided to take a step back from competitive Gaming. While Münch took a step back as a backup player two seasons ago, Julmi announced his retirement from competing on the highest level in ECL just after the season ended. Two Eras are ending but new beginnings are about to breakout this season. It is time to take a look back with two virtual legends of GCL Hockey and talk about their biggest victories, disappointments and surprises during their careers. If you have any questions or any interesting stories you made along the way with these two, make sure to drop a comment down below 👇

Dear Frank & Sven, thank you for finding some time to take a look back at your biggest accomplishments, regrets and sweetest moments in your respective SportsGamer careers in EASPORTS NHL! Obviously everybody wants to know what is your best memory from all those years on the virtual ice?

Frank: Obviously in the ECL we had many great memories. Fighting all the way from ECL Lite up into the Elite Division and especially winning the Championship in ECL Pro was something I will never forget. If I had to pick a special memory I would had to pick our 4th Place and securing a spot in the Playoffs in our first season on Elite Level. Back then many players did not think that teams from Central Server were capable of doing so. That made it even sweeter! 

Sven: Our first GCL Title with ZSC Esports and Promotion to ECL Elite. After many losses in the GCL Finals it was such a relief to finally finish on top and exorcise our demons. After winning the Lite Championship in ECL 7 we paved our way to the Pro Division and just as Frank said many Teams did not put Central European teams on the map of virtual 6s hockey. That made it even better to beat Gotham Knights in the Elite relegation and arrive in the Top 16 of our continent.

Which NHL title of the past years was your favourite?

Frank: If I'm totally honest there has not been a title in the recent years that I really fell in love with. The main factor of grinding was the friendships you made over all those years and practicing for reaching the same goals as a team. Spending all these hours with my mates has made all of this very special and is worth more than playing the game itself.

Sven: While I totally agree with what Frank said I have to pick NHL 18. The Gameplay overall was really smooth and nice especially for 6s. On top of that we secured our first title in ECL 7 that year. So that will obviously always stay in my mind.

What has been your biggest motivation to lead a team on and off the virtual ice over all those years?

Frank: Becoming a captain was actually some kind of coincidence. Back then when we gathered the band back together, Stefan @Rayman Mieth, Fynn @willywonkaaa Willer and me built the captains trio. Basically due to the fact that I was most fluent in English I got the "C" on my chest. Over all that time it just became natural and the most important factor of being a Captain is to always be honest. You need to find the right mixture for the chemistry on and off the ice. Some players might be better individually but if there is no personal chemistry it can become tough within the collective. The biggest goal was to put together a good group of guys and be as successful as we can in EASHL.

Sven: In the beginning of my career I played for the PSHL Roadrunners and Coyotes. After some time I disagreed with certain decisions made by their former Captains and I thought to myself that I am able to be a better Captain and leader for my team. That's where it all started and I founded my own squad.

What are the biggest difficulties to overcome when being a Captain?

Frank: As mentioned earlier personally there are two important factors. First: Be honest. You need to be aware of yourself on what level you are playing on and may be able to reach someday. Also considering playing time for certain players it is important to communicate. In the end no one will be happy if someone is promised to play 80% of the games but ends up sitting on the bench. And secondly and even more important to me, build a team full of characters that fit to each other. Chemistry off the ice can be more clutch than the individual skill of certain teams. You will spend so much time together it is vital to build an environment that you like to be around.

Sven: There are lots of problems you could face during your time as a Captain! To me it was always important to be proactive, talk to every player because even backup players are an important part of any squad in the league. Developing some kind of understanding to certain situations is also pretty important to keep the whole group confident. In the end we are spending a lot of time in the game and do not make - and if so not much - money with it. So sometimes family and job is obviously priority number one.

What was the biggest disappointment in your 6s career?

Frank: Probably when we did not reach our goal. If I had to pick one certain point of time in my career it was probably ending up losing Game 7 in the Quarterfinals of our first ECL Season against Dynastia. The disappointment was huge shortly after the game. But after some time you started to realize how big the accomplishment actually was.

Sven: Definitely underperforming in ECL'23 Spring Elite. We started off very strong into the season but couldn't keep up with our own pace and ended up losing most of the games in the second half of the season. After managing to qualify for the Playoffs in the prior season it was a big disappointment to play the Relegation series. Luckily we remained focused and stayed up after winning the series in six games against Lulea Hockey.

Have there been any funny stories stuck in your mind after all these years?

Frank: There were A LOT of memories during that time. But one thing that always comes to my mind was a Matchday in ECL Elite. We should have played in the early slot of the SportsGamer Broadcast. But unfortunately our former Forward Tim @Timasy Hess was lost without trace. After some wrangling and organizing we managed to swap the Broadcast games so we were able to play in the later slot. 15 Minutes after our actual Gametime Tim joined the PS Party after a relaxing nap. Still to that point he did not realize that he was actually too late. But luckily we managed to turn that around and play our Games later that night.

Sven: One of the best times we had as a team was actually off the virtual ice. We organized many events in Switzerland which ended up at Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamonis house. Apart from The Black Jacks and ZSC band a few members from former EHC Biel-Bienne Esports also joined. Just a lot of fun, good food and obviously some fresh beers!

Are there any certain hopes and wishes you have for the EA NHL series aswell as the DACH-Community?

Frank: The Game should go back to the basics. But do them right. Nobody in the competitive scene is interested in playing passes while falling down or scoring the 50th Michigan Goal by just pressing one button. Defenders should be able to pick up passes and make it more consistent. That's actually all that matters. To the community I hope that everyone works towards the same goal. Make the community bigger and improve the "product" GCL with its presentation, broadcasts as well as being respectful to each other!

Sven: I really hope that the activity of players, organizations and also viewers on Twitch rise back to the Level that it was during the COVID pandemic. The number of players, teams and the general interest on the streaming platforms steadily declines. Obviously an important factor for that is the quality of the game itself. The game and its scene has a lot of potential and it would be great to see the community becoming bigger in the future!

Once again thank you for your time! Are there any special words you would like to leave before the start of GCL 11?

Frank: To my Deadly Phantoms. To almost every player who ever wore our virtual jersey I wanna say Thank you. You will always have a special place in my heart and with all the joy and disappointments we witnessed during the last couple of years I have to admit that I enjoyed every second of it. To the DACH-Community: I am leaving with a smile on my face and I hope that during my time in the LA I did more positive than negative things. To @Kenu: Thank you for being the person that you are. Thank you for trusting me, thank you for teaching me, thank you for all the time we spent together. Living legend.

Sven: I want to thank all my companions and players. All the Guys who spend a lot of time with me in the last couple of seasons and spend many hours grinding this Game. Even though I probably was not the easiest person at all times I am glad that you took me as I am. Especially Mike @burban26 Müller and Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich who made the project of ZSC Esports a big success for several seasons. The last one goes out to my current team The Black Jacks. I enjoyed every second of our successful ECL '24 Winter Elite campaign and I hope we can end on a good note in my last GCL. Last but not least to my fellow DACH-companions: I often got asked what to do to improve? Just keep it basic. Just play clean, quick and simple. Always try to play a quick pass, find the open man and go into the open spaces. Playing after this motto has brought us from Lite into ECL Elite.

On behalf of SportsGamer and the whole Community we want to thank Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi for all their effort over the last couple of years. As players as well as an important part of the ECL and GCL League administration. Both players finish on rank 3 among - respectively all skaters or defensemen -the SportsGamers All Time Stats (Julmi 672GP: 631G + 981A; Münch 479GP: 143G +505A). We are looking forward to another exciting GCL Season and will see you soon with the next episode of Player's Diary!

SportsGamers,

The jubilee season of GCL action kicked off in mid-July and these passionate gamers have been going at it throughout the hot summer months to once again crown a champion of the DACH community. It's been the deal of the German record Champions of the Deadly Phantoms as they faced a new team on the block with HC Lugano eSports. The Swiss crowned themselves Cup Champions in the previous week and aimed for yet another big surprise in the GCL 10 Finals, too! After a big upset in the semifinals against ZSC Esports, the Bianconeri turned out to be a big challenge for any opponent in the league. Nevertheless the Phantoms managed to beat the Luganesi in six games and secured their 6th GCL Championship! Playoffs top-scorer Dominik @CashAllGreen Bellersheim was the hero that night as he scored the deciding OT GWG in Game 6 which eventually brought DPH back on top of the DACH community. 

Deadly Phantoms' road to the Championship:

• #2 seed with the record 26-2-2
• Quarterfinals vs Hannover Indians eSports (#7) 4-1
• Semifinals vs RB Munich eSports (#3) 4-2
• Finals vs HC Lugano eSports (#4) 4-2

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS

#1 Da @xEispiratx  Ron

#31 Patrick @RPH_31 Braun

DEFENSEMEN

#23 Maximilian @gzell60 Käsmaier

#27 Frank @Franky__2768 Münch

#63 Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz

FORWARDS

#2 Paul @Pauner08 Weingart

#11 Dominik @CashAllGreen Bellersheim

#13 Stefan @Rayman Mieth

#64 Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss

#72 Denis @CCBow-501 Roethele

#81 Bastian @ali-kn Wolf

On behalf of the whole community we want to thank all teams who participated in the GCL jubilee season and congratulate the Deadly Phantoms on their 6th Championship in their 9th German Championship League campaign. See you all next season!

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers,

GCL 10 Division II Hockey has found their new Champion as well! We have seen an exciting seasons with many surprises, upsets and dominant performances! While the legendary Clowns on Ice and Black Sharks secured the top seeds in their respective groups it was two other teams clashing in the Division II Finals last week! Gleumes Hockey Krefeld faced TBA Soon in the SportsGamer DACH-Broadcast and the series went all the way: Game Seven Hockey Heaven!

The newly formed squad around Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle kept their cool and secured the Division II Championship with a cheeky 1:0 shutout win in Game 7. Kevin @Asap_Kev231 Emmler layed the foundation to their success while especially ECL Pro experienced winger Jürgen @DangledYouOut Kloster secured the top-scoring title in the playoffs, scoring 33 goals and 30 assists in 21 postseason games. Swedish license player Adam @esdor Ericson played a big role in TBA Soons' road to the Championship. While the Swedish veteran only had four appearances in the Regular Season, Ericson played in every game in the Playoffs! 

TBA Soons' road to the Championship:

• #4 seed in Group 2 with the record 12-1-1
• Round 1 vs Berliner Wolves 4-0
• Quarterfinals vs EV Duisburg 4-2
• Semifinals vs Huskies eSports 4-0
• Finals vs Gleumes Hockey Krefeld 4-3

THE WINNING ROSTER:

GOALTENDERS 

#29 Kevin @Asap_Kev231 Emmler

DEFENSEMEN

#17 Niklas @HOEFI_24 Hofmann

#44 Pascal @MrKaahee Hain

#77 Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle

FORWARDS

#10 Christoph @IiVAPOR100iI Stotz

#15 Adam @esdor Ericson

#42 Herve @frenchplayer92 Mendoza

#71 Jürgen @DangledYouOut Kloster

On behalf of the whole community we want to congratulate TBA Soon on their Division II Championship in the 10th jubilee season! Enjoy your break and see you next season in NHL24.

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers,

After a long and very fluctuating season, the GCL 10 Cup has found a new champion. HC Lugano Esports crowned themselves Cup Champions of the GCL Jubilee Season after a thrilling Best-Of-1 Final against the Elite juggernauts of ZSC Esports! Slovakian license player Roland @jasomnajlepsi Szvetko was the hero as he scored the game-winning goal for the Bianconeri in the second period which eventually was enough to maintain the 3:2 lead after 60 minutes. Luganesi forward Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni was the top-scorer for the new Cup Champion as he managed to score 16 points (6G + 10A) in five Games. Goaltender Sandro @I-THE_EAGLE-I Wüller played a big role in Luganos' path to their first title as he currently harkens back to the glory of his old days between the pipes!

Honorable Mention: After we have seen the OId Dirty Primates making the Quarterfinals in the last GCL 9 Cup another Division II Squad managed to cause a sensation in this Jubilee Season. The Arctic Panther beat the Deadly Phantoms in Round 2 while ending up among the Top 4 in this competition. Way to go, Boys!

HC Lugano Esports' road to the Cup:

• Round 1 Bye
• Round 2 vs Iserlohn Roosters eSports 8:1
• Round 3 vs Huskies eSports 5:1
• Quarterfinals vs Nürnberg IceTigers eSports 3:2
• Semifinals vs Hannover Indians eSports 2:1
• Finals vs ZSC Esports 3:2

The winning roster:

GOALTENDER:

Sandro @I-THE_EAGLE-I Wüller
 

DEFENSEMEN:

Marko @Nr-0847 Reza

Reto @Swiss Moger Lorenz

Rico @x Holtbeast Reutschner
 

FORWARDS:

Stephan @Krinke Krinke

Roland @jasomnajlepsi Szvetko

Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni

The GCL 10 Playoffs are still on their way as HC Lugano Esports clashes with ZSC Esports yet again and RB Munich eSports faces the GCL record champion of the Deadly Phantoms in the other semifinal matchup. On behalf of the whole community, we congratulate the Bianconeri on their first SportsGamer 6v6 title, and will be back with the GCL 10 Finals soon!

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

Dear GCLGamers,

the Jubilee Season of the German Championship League has brought us many highlights! New players stepped into the league and mixed up the GCL aswell as well-known faces prevailing and showing off their skillset among the best of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We've boiled down to the last 10 teams that are fighting for the German Championship and we want to take a moment to look back at our Community's Team of the Season at this point. Many players of the community would have deserved to get a spot in that team - but the following six have done so this season:

Goalie:

Marcel @Capitano_82 Houdelet | RB Munich eSports

With an astonishing majority Houddel_RBM is your Goalie of the Season! The brickwall from Berlin is one of three goalies in GCL 10 who played all of the 30 Regular Season games and managed to win 25 of those games. Houdelet was the decisive factor for Munich's succesful season and layed the foundation for that with his important saves. 326 Saves in contrast to 51 goals conceded means a sunning save percentage of 86,47%. With a GGA of 1,7 Houdelet managed to secure "only" three shutous but his 54 shutoutsperiods are the second most in the whole league and underline the skillset of Red Bulls Number 26. Will @Capitano_82 continue to perform as he did? If so the Red Bulls might be able to upset one of the favourites in the upcoming Playoffs!

Right Defender:

Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer | ZSC Esports (by @OGjahajaha)

The Topscorer among all Defenders in GCL 10 obviously has to be involved in the Team of the Season! @GERxVillain played his best GCL Season of his career and contributed 13 Goals and 49 Assists in 26 Games to the success of his Lions from Zürich. Ungeheuer developed to one of the most dominant Defenseman of the scene and took the next step forward. His skillset on both ends on the ice is clearly visible. The Franfurt-born had an amazing +/- of +102(!) scoring one Powerplaygoal, two shorthanders(!) including a shotpercentage of 37.1%! With 22 hits @GERxVillain took a step back from the physical game and rather dominated with anticipating opponents plays and intercepting passes on the blue line. With 167 Interceptions Ungeheuer has the secondmost in the whole league and his passing percentage of 84.,3% is another indicator for his solid game on the virtual ice. While Ungeheuer took only one penalty during the whole campaing he managed to draw 13 penalties. The most by any defenseman in the league by far. @GERxVillain is a threat on both ends of the ice and our Right Defender of GCL 10!

Left Defender:

Rico @x Holtbeast Reutschner | HC Lugano eSports

xXReuTschNer98Xx joined the Bianconeri before the season and had imediate impact on their game as nearly no other transfer in GCL 10! With 34 points (5G + 29A) Reutschner secured rank 7 among the best scoring defenseman this season. Topped off with a +/- of +42 one can see why HC Lugano eSports took steps in the right directions and secured seed #4 for the upcoming postseason. While Reutschner played all 30 games in this regular season the second spot of the Luganesi Defense often rotates. No problem for @x Holtbeast as his flexible playing style fits right into Luganos gameplan. Especially the combination with forwards Stephan @Krinke Krinke, Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni and Jason @jasomnajlepsi Szvetko works really well and all players seem to profit from each others ideas. Reutschner is a very important factor for the solid season of the Swiss competitors and his performances this season made him to our Left Defender of GCL 10!

Right Winger:

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg | ZSC Esports (by @OGjahajaha)

The Topscorer of the Jubilee Season. 130 points in 30 games set a new record for total points in German Championship League campaign. 56 Goals and 74 Assists means that Berg secured the virtual Rocket Richard and the most Apples in GCL 10! With 11 Powerplay Goals and two Shorthanders the Assistant-Captain of ZSC Esports scored the most Special Teams points of all players this season aswell as second most Game Winning Goals (9 GWGs). His 158 Shots (2nd most in the League) in combination with a 35,4% shooting percentage shows how deadly @Keuschemisch game has become in the offensive end of the virtual ice. After securing the topscoring title for the third time in a row he will be keen on crowning himself and his team DACH-Champions for the fourth consecutive time, too! It will be very hard for any team to stop the Lions offensive power - especially in a Best-Of-7 Series.

Left Winger:

Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner | ZSC Esports (by @OGjahajaha)

The perfect counterpart to @Keuschemisch on Zürichs Wing has made it to the Team of the Season, too! I_Alex28_I had a stunning season. 51 Goals and 59 Assists in 30 games. Those 110 points make him the secondbest scorer of GCL 10 right behind his earlier mentioned teammate. Wagner is extremely unselfish and loves to play a team game. With 214 Hits @IDangledYouOut had (once again) the most hits of all players in this regular season which underlines his physical but yet extremely smart game. The (Power) Forward from Füssen is a great mixture of scoring touch, unselfishness and physical game. A player that every team would love to have in their own lineup. Especially the combination with his Defenseman Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and the blind trust with his Wingman @Keuschemisch has made this Duo to the deadliest Attack on the Central Server. As mentioned in the paragraph earlier: it will be very hard for any team to stop ZSCs Offense in a Best-Of-7 Series. We will see if @IDangledYouOut is able to continue his brilliant form!

Center:

Martin @MMTS Kania | Hannover Indians eSports

New Kid on the Block, eh? A big surprise on the Center Spot of the Team of the Season! @MMTS who had an incredible season paved his way into the starting Lineup of GCL 10. 38 Goals and 32 Assists push Kania on rank 7 of the topscorers from this campaign. The 33-year old Forward from Hannover is playing his only 5th competetive Season on SportsGamer.gg but made an impressive development during the jubilee season. The Indians managed to create a dangerous offensive trio with Kevin @Gregson91 Householder and Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle down his wings. Kania profits from his experienced wingers but is also able to set them up and put them in the right situations on the offensive end of the ice. While @MMTS impressive numbers in the offensive end are one indicator for his amazing development this season, the Indians Number 88 masters the Two-Way-Game. While he wins 58,5% of all his faceoffs, Kania blocked 33 shots, cleared the zone during penalty kill seven times and had impressive 78 takeaways. 36 deflections (3rd most in the League) show off the great positioning by the big Grinder. While the Indians Forwards had impressive numbers all over the board, they only finished on rank 7 meaning they have to play their competitors of Canucks Hockey in the Preplayoffs. If Kania and his two Wingmen continue their strong offensive performances they should be able to advance to the Top 8 of GCL 10!

Obviously many other players would have deserved a spot in the Team of the Season of GCL 10. But according to your votes this is the Best of the Rest!

 Hannover Indians eSports #7 vs.  Canucky Hockey #10

Canucks Hockey managed to secure the last ticket to the Preplayoffs in the last second. A split against SCB eSports on Sundaynight guaranteed the Canucks another Playoffappearance in the DACH-Championship and is surely a big success for the team of Captain Sascha  @Francoconte Hauser. Their opponent is no one less than the Hannover Indians eSports with their impressive offensive Power. The Indians managed to score 101 goals in the regular season, 35 more than the Canucks! If the Canucks want to prevail and become the David in the fight against Goliath they have to find a way to shut down Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle. There are reasons to doubt if this is possible in a full series of five games. In a few days we will be smarter.

Prediction: 3:1 Hannover Indians eSports

 Eisbären Lauf Gaming #8 vs.  Düsseldorfer EG eSports #9

We are about to witness a real thriller in the other Matchup of the GCL 10 Preplayoffs! Only one points was between both competitors after the end of the regular season. On one hand the quite unexperienced Polarbears from Franconia. On the other side the veterans from the Lower Rhine Valley, Düsseldorf. In the roster of the Eisbären Lauf has been quite a few movements been made towards the end of the season. It will be important for them to find a way to compensate the loss of that individual quality. If rumours are to be believed not everything that shines is gold on sides of the Düsseldorfer EG. Is Pro-experienced Forward Alex @Fire_019 Eder able to push his team into the Playoffs or will the Polarbears from Lauf take the next steps and steam down of the GCL Originals?

Prediction: 3:2 Eisbären Lauf Gaming

Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

 Hallo GCLGamer,

wir starten in die letzte Woche der Regular Season der GCL10! Während der Titelverteidiger aus Zürich weiterhin ohne einen einzigen Punktverlust (26-0-0) die Tabellenführung weiterhin verteidigt, spitzt sich der Kampf um die Plätze für den Heimvorteil in der Postseason zu. Der HC Lugano eSports, Red Bull Munich eSports und die Deadly Phantoms werden den Kampf unter sich ausmachen! Während sich die Bianconeri und die roten Bullen am Donnerstagabend die Punkte teilten, müssen beide Teams noch zum Duell gegen den GCL Rekordmeister der Phantoms antanzen. Insbesondere DPH hat in Woche 4 der GCL einige Federn lassen müssen. Neben dem ein oder anderen Punktverlust setzte es die ersten drei Niederlagen und das überraschende Pokalaus gegen Division II Team der Arctic Panther. Auch im Battle um die Preplayoffplätze ist noch lange keine Entscheidung gefallen! Gleich acht(!) Teams mischen im Kampf um die letzten vier Plätze in den letzten Spieltagen mit. Insbesondere Ambri eSports legte ein starkes Comeback hin und scheint sich aus dem Abstiegskampf befreit zu haben. Mit einem Record von 5-4-1 aus den letzten zehn Spielen verließen die Schweizer die Abstiegsränge und melden nun erste Avancen für Platz 10 an! Wird das Monster-Comeback gelingen? Nächste Woche werden wir abermals schlauer sein, daher werfen wir nun erneut einen Blick auf die besten Spieler und Teams der vergangenen Woche!

Transfernews:

Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert --> Eisbären Lauf Gaming

Am Deadline Day gab es nochmals den ein oder anderen Transfer! Der Transfer von Josh @Hasek-39-- Plattner löste eine regelrechte Goalie-Transfer-Rotation aus! Die Eisbären Lauf reagierten auf den Abgang des österreichischen Schlussmanns und reaktivierten mit @Fightlocke3 einen erfahrenen und starken Torwart aus der Sommerpause. Der Crimmitschauer bestach auf seinen letzten Stationen bei noRex Gaming, dem ZSC eSports, sowie der Lions Academy und soll die Eisbären zur Playoffteilnahme pushen und dem britischen Starter @Brain I 34 die nötige Rückendeckung geben.

David @Berty Alberty --> Beastie Boys

Nägel mit Köpfen schien Hannover Indians eSports GM @oPHOENIXo87 zu machen. Wie bereits erwähnt, gelang den Niedersachsen mit Plattner ein durchaus überraschender Transfer. Im Gegenzug dafür schickten die Indians David @Berty Alberty in die Free Agency. Kurz vor Ablauf der Wechselfrist heuerte dieser bei @Backstyla und den Beastie Boys an. Mit noch 6 zu absolvierenden Spielen werden die Beasties alles auf eine Karte setzen um dem Abstieg von der Schippe zu springen!

GOALIE:

Timo @killerashrom1994 Reyher | SCB eSports

In der letzten Woche noch Teil unserer Honorable Mentions und nun ganz oben auf dem Podest! Torhüter des virtuellen Schlittschuhclubs aus Bern Timo @killerashrom1994 Reyher ist unser Goalie der Woche. Der 29-Jährige ist einer der entscheidenden Schlüsselspieler für die Trendwende des SCB eSports in den vergangenen Matchups! In 14 Spielen konnte Reyher starke 11 Siege einfahren - gleich viermal davon hielt er die Null. Unteranderem gelangen dem Schweizer bei den Siegen gegen Team Infernus und der Düsseldorfer EG back-to-back Shutouts! Mit einer Fangquote von knapp 85% rangiert der Linksfänger auf Platz 6 des internen Goalierankings und empfiehlt sich mit seinen derzeitigen Leistungen für deutlich höhere Ziele! Nach einem sehr holprigen Saisonstart unterstreicht der Gegentorschnitt von 1,86 ebenfalls die gute Entwicklung beim SCB, die sich nun auch tabellarisch sichtbar macht. Prognose: Knüpft @killerashrom1994 an seine bisherigen Leistungen an werden die Berner Bären in die Top 6 klettern!

Honorable Mentions: Daniel @DanMull87 Müller & Daniel @Meazza1704 Otten

DEFENSEMAN:

Rico @x Holtbeast Reutschner | HC Lugano eSports

Mit xXReuTschNer98Xx haben wir einen weiteren Spieler der Woche der ebenfalls Teil der Honorable Mentions war. Nach seinen Leistungen der vergangenen Woche führt aber erst Recht kein Weg am Linksverteidiger der Bianconeri vorbei! In den 10 Spielen aus Woche 4 sammelte Reutschner bockstarke 16 Punkte und baute damit seine Ausbeute auf insgesamt 5 Tore und 28 Assists aus! @x Holtbeast bildet mit @Krinke und @jasomnajlepsi das Grundgerüst des HC Lugano und absolvierte jede Partie in der GCL10. Seine +/- Bilanz von +37 ist die beste aller Verteidiger der German Championship League, welche nicht für den ZSC Esports spielen. Parallel dazu feuerte Reutschner mit 44 Schüssen die zweitmeisten aller Defensivspieler ab. Belohnen konnte der 25-jährige sich dort mit zwei Powerplaytreffern und führt diese Kategorie im internen Defenderranking an! Reutschner scheint ein absoluter Glücksgriff für die Schweizer gewesen zu sein. Seine Erfahrung und defensive Abgeklärtheit machen die Luganesi zu einem sehr schwierig zu bespielenden Gegner!

Honorable Mentions: Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz & Willy @willywonkaaa Fynn

FORWARD:

Roland @jasomnajlepsi Szvetko | HC Lugano eSports

Wir feiern eine Premiere in den Players of the Week der GCL10: Mit Roland @jasomnajlepsi Szvetko haben wir das erste Mal einen Lizenzspieler unter den Topspielern der Woche. Wie bereits im vergangenen Abschnitt erwähnt ist Szvetko aus dem Spiel der Luganesi nicht mehr wegzudenken. Der Slowake absolvierte ebenfalls alle Partien und avancierte hierbei zum Topscorer seines Teams. Mit 64 Punkten aus 24 Spielen schob sich der Rechtsschütze auf Rang 3 der besten Scorer der Liga und knüpfte an die beiden Zürcher Winger an. @jasomnajlepsi steuerte in Woche 4 unglaubliche 31(!) Punkte zum Erfolg seines HC Lugano bei. Besonders erwähnenswert sein 7-Punkte-Game gegen den Deggendorfer SC eSports, bei dem der Offensivkünstler aus Nitra an allen Toren der Bianconeri beteiligt war. Seine Schussquote von 42,4% bei 92 abgefeurten Schüssen macht noch einmal das überragende Decisionmaking der Nummer 10 deutlich. Nachdem Abgang von @DangledYouOut gen TBA Soon hat Kapitän @Swiss Moger nicht nur geschafft adäquaten Ersatz zu finden, sondern einen Spieler mit dem der HCL den nächsten Step gehen kann.

Honorable Mentions: Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg & Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni

Hot: 🔥

Eisbären Lauf Gaming:

Nach dem überraschenden Abgang von Josh @Hasek-39-- Plattner kurz vor Ablauf der Deadline, haben die Eisbären mithilfe ihrer neuen britischen Nummer Eins Jamie @Brain I 34 Brain ihre letzten vier Partien alle regulär gewinnen können. Mit einer starken Fangquote von 83,55 % hat der Starting-Goalie der Bayern den nötigen Rückhalt geboten, den man im Schlussspurt der Regular Season benötigt hat. Zwei Siege gegen die Nürnberg IceTigers eSports und der Split am späten Sonntagabend gegen den ECH Olten eSports bringen Lauf auf den derzeitigen sechsten Rang und bieten eine hervorragende Ausgangslage um sich für die Pre-Playoffs gut zu platzieren. Ein weiterer 2:0 Sieg gegen die Eidgenossen befördert die fränkischen Eisbären ebenfalls ins Viertelfinale des GCL10 Pokals! Ebenfalls nicht mehr auf dem virtuellen Eis stand in den letzten Partien der lettische Lizenzspieler der Eisbären Daniels @CMB-wf- Magonis, welcher bis dato auch die interne Scorerliste anführt. Diese beiden Umstellungen scheinen - trotz der Qualität der beiden Abgänge - sehr Positives bewirkt zu haben.

Ambri eSports:

Ein Comeback der besonderen Art haben die Italo-Schweizer aus Ambri in der letzten Woche hingelegt! Aus einer fast aussichtslosen Situation gewann man vier der letzten fünf Partien (alle Siege in regulärer Spielzeit) und musste lediglich eine OT-Niederlage hinnehmen. Mit diesen 16 Punkten aus fünf Spielen schob man sich still und heimlich auf den 12. Rang und lässt sich nun sogar die Möglichkeit offen sich für die Pre-Playoffs zu qualifizieren. Falls der Lauf in den letzten acht verbleibenden Partien nur ansatzweise so weiter geht, hat man mit den hinteren Plätzen nichts mehr zu tun. Mann der Stunde ist Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano mit 36 Scorerpunkten aus 18 Partien. Dies sind 20 mehr als der Zweitplatzierte Josh @JPBROO Gartner in vier absolvierten Spielen weniger. Schießt Webdano Ambri in die Pre-Playoffs oder haben wir hier nur ein Störfeuer aus dem Tessin aufflackern sehen?

Red Bull Munich eSports:

Sehen wir eine Wachablösung der Nummer 2 im DACH-Bereich? Mit Doppelsiegen gegen den SC Bern und den Indians aus Hannover, sowie vier Punkten gegen den HC Lugano eSports avancieren die Münchener still und heimlich auf den zweiten Platz (PPG) kurz vor Ende der Saison. Eine starke Woche krönte man mit einem Doppelsieg gegen die Düsseldorfer EG, in dem Dominik @Domi_PENTA Rühl abermals seine Klasse aufblitzen ließ. Aber: Die vermeintlich stärksten Gegner sind noch zu spielen, das direkte Duell gegen die Deadly Phantoms um Platz zwei, sowie die Duelle gegen den quasi bereits feststehenden Sieger der Hauptrunde ZSC eSports. Im GCL-Pokal folgte am Donnerstag das frühe Aus gegen die Zürcher (1:2) - wird man sich revanchieren können und die Regular Season unter den Top 2 abschließen können?

Cold: 🧊

Deadly Phantoms:

Not so Deadly anymore? Nach einem makellosen Start scheint der Rekordmeister vereinzelt ungewohnt Schwächen zu zeigen. Zwei verdiente Niederlagen im El Clasico gegen Dauerrivale Zürich, sowie eine OT-Niederlage gegen die Nürnberg IceTigers eSports und gar ein Punktverlust gegen die Düsseldorfer EG und den Deggendorfer SC eSports waren noch nicht genug. Zu allem Überfluss verlor man mit 2:4 im Pokal gegen das GCL Division II Team Arctic Panther. Diese Blamage und unnötigen Punktverluste sorgen dafür, dass die Phantoms in der verbleibenden Woche im direkten Duell gegen Red Bull Munich eSports um den zweiten Seed kämpfen muss, der die letzten Jahre eine Selbstverständlichkeit war.

Hannover Indians eSports:

Nachdem wir die Hannoveraner letzte Woche so mit Lob überschüttet haben, wurde diese Woche ein enttäuschender Record von 1-4-1 aufgestellt. Gegen die Favoriten aus München und Zürich unterlag man jeweils in regulärer Spielzeit, doch auch gegen den EHC Olten eSports leistete man sich mit einer 6:5 OT-Niederlage einen Ausrutscher, welcher die Indians vom Pferdeturm aus den Top 5 herausfallen lässt. Die direkte Playoff-Teilnahme scheint sicher, doch nach oben ist nach dieser Gameweek auch nicht mehr viel möglich.

Beastie Boys:

Einen klaren Abwärtstrend müssen die Beastie Boys verzeichnen. Sechs Niederlagen, unterbrochen von einem OT Sieg gegen Tabellenschlusslicht Old Dirty Primates, verwickeln die Beasties nach einer starken Phase nun doch in den direkten Abstiegskampf. Wenn das Ruder nochmals herumgerissen werden kann, ist in den letzten zehn Spielen auch noch der begehrte Platz 10 möglich. Dafür muss die Offensive um Topscorer Martin  @Backstyla Katholing aber nochmals einen deutlichen Zahn zulegen.

Random Facts:

• Schießbude: Ganze 149 Gegentreffer mussten die Old Dirty Primates bisher hinnehmen. Dies sind 40 mehr als der Vorletzte in dieser Statistik.
• Faceoff "Biester": Mit nur 37,43% gewinnen die Beastie Boys die wenigsten Faceoffs der Liga. Zu schwach um in höheren Gefilden mitzumischen!
• Supernatural: Einen übernaturlichen Passwert hat laut Statistiken IceTigers Verteidiger Eric @AveRxDallas Polk vorzuweisen. Von 130 Passversuchen kamen starke 140 Pässe an (107,7%). Kroos on Ice oder betrunkene Statistiker?
• Effizienz: Der Berliner Nico @SuperMeean Fikus feuerte bei seinem Debut für den ZSC eSports zweimal auf das gegnerische Gehäuse. Mit beiden Schüssen traf der Rechtsverteidiger. Der einzige Spieler der GCL10 mit einer Schussquote von 100%.
• Big Tipper: Center Philip @Phlabsolon Absolon führt mit 45 Deflections die Statistik ligaweit an. Damit hat der Deggendorfer sogar mehr Deflections als Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Goepfert. Majestätsbeleidigung?
• Bad Boy: Verteidiger Salome @FAZE_SKY_FIGHTER Stucki hat in einer GCL10 Pokal Partie für die Mighty Ice Reapers gleich 15(!) Strafminuten gesammelt. John Scott, is it you?

In der kommenden Woche melden wir uns zurück mit dem Team of the Season und den Predictions zu den Pre-Playoffs!

Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers,

the 10th iteration of the German Championship League is about to start. To celebrate our Anniversary Season we wanted to look back on the past nine seasons. Who was involved in the GCL, which players dominated the scene and who finally crowned themselves Champions of the "DACH-region". Many players and teams joined and left the virtual hockey stage during the years as it all started back in NHL18 - when it all began as the GEL in the inaugural season. We especially want to thank @Hennisch and @Franky__2768 who paved the way for German NHL Esports and made all those seasons possible, with all their effort they put in as the years and NHL titles passed by! In Season 2 the newly named GCL joined NHLGamer (now SportsGamer) where the DACH-Championship is still played to this day. Let's not waste any further time and jump straight into the past nine GCL Seasons - feel free to share your memories with us in the comments down below!

GEL:  Inter Iceland vs.  Clowns On Ice

Back in autumn of 2017 is where it all started. The inaugural season of DACH eHockey action was organized on a separate platform. A big thank you to @Hennisch, @LosTypos, @GreatOne139 and @Franky__2768 who were indispensable with all their enthusiasm to build a competetive platform for NHL18 6v6 hockey in Germany, Austria and Switzerland! The GEL kicked off on October 27th 2017 as 11 teams participated in Season 1. Many of those teams are still active nowadays, with the well-known juggernauts Deadly Phantoms, Clowns on Ice, EV Duisburg and the legendary Inter Iceland. After various tournaments in the past it was safe to say that all of those four teams were the favourites on the GEL title. Inter Iceland, who should spend several seasons in ECL Pro led by their Captain Joshua @Hasek-39-- Plattner, paved their way to the final against the Clowns On Ice. Two highly skilled teams matched up in the finals as Inter crowned themselves champions with a 4:2 serieswin around ECL Season 1 veteran Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner. Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle was one of the dominating players in that year as he gained the topscoring title in the regular season and playoffs. Hämmerle is still to this date one of the most skilled Forwards the German community has to offer. A place among the Top-10-All-time-Scorers on SportsGamer.gg underlines the skillset of the Bavarian Left wing!
 

GCL2:  Deadly Phantoms HC vs.  The Black Jacks

Over the course of NHL18 the German EASHL League was implemented on NHLGamer. Rebranded as the GCL the second season kicked off in March 2018. 15 Teams joined the league as the dominating era of the Deadly Phantoms started. Winning 26 out of the 28 regular season games brought them #1 overall seed, only falling short against EV Duisburg and the Puck Panthers, led by Reto @Swiss Moger Dubacher. Swiss outfit The Black Jacks joined the German powerhouse at the top of the table with 22 wins. The Swiss managed to build a very dominant squad around Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi who led his team with 65 points in 18 Games! Trinidad Tobago joined the two dominant forces in the semifinals - a squad full of non-DACH players which was later prohibited as the licenseplayer rule was implemented just one season later. A dominating finals performance by the Deadly Phantoms was crowned with a 4:3OT Win in Game 5 against The Black Jacks. Stefan @Rayman Mieth was the leagues MVP as he scored stunning 90 points in 22 regular season games and superthroned his performance in the postseason with 40 points in just 13 games!

GCL3:   Deadly Phantoms HC vs.  Silver Sword Griffins

Right after the release of NHL19 the third GCL season started! 14 Teams in one group. Top 8 made it to the playoffs. Just as in the previous season the Deadly Phantoms should sit on top - a picture that the DACH community had to get used to for several seasons in a row! 25-1-0 and a whopping 187 goals scored underlines the dominance of DPH! A great squad formed by Frank @Franky__2768 Münch as he got Tim @Timasy Heß from their competitors Clowns On Ice into the team. Among the dominating teams in the league the well-known faces were joined by a new squad: The Silver Sword Griffins. A team consisting out of a big core that later formed back to Inter Iceland such as Stefan @Charly Braun and Much @Much1979 Ramu! The Griffins added some Latvian Skillset to their roster which is still known nowadays especially from their performances in the RCL and WECL! Steffen @Seibertus94 Leuchtenberger and Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Göpfert joined the GCL as DEG eSports. The first official eSports Team from the DEL which is still competing in today's ECL and GCL! Especially @DangerBrooklyn was and still is feared for his dangerous deflections in front of the net. In the finals DPH clashed with the German-Latvian Silver Sword Griffins which is one of the most intense and tight finals in GCL history. Game 7 was needed to crown the new DACH-Champion as Superstar @Timasy scored the OT GWG to clinch the second straight title after a cheeky assist by his Center Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker.

GCL4:  Deadly Phantoms HC vs.  The Black Jacks

In the 4th iteration of the GCL we have seen 18 teams participating. Divided in two groups, Top 5 of each group made the playoffs including a Best-Of-3 Preplayoff Round for the first time! With EV Füssen Esports a second official Esports Team from Germany joined the competetive eHockey scene in the GCL and what a start it should be for the Bavarian boys. Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle continued his dominating individual performances with 88 points in 16 games which guaranteed Füssen rank 1, right in front of their Swiss counterpart The Black Jacks! The Deadly Phantoms repeated their perfect regular season and grabbed overall seed #1 with a record of 16-0. Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss joined DPH after many succesful seasons with Clowns on Ice and had immediate impact on their game. Nowadays the Austrian playmaker still belongs to the most skilled players in the community and highlights his skillset with many impressive seasons on ECL Elite and Pro Level! One of the biggest newcomers in that season were the Eisbären Regensburg who improved from a 2-24-0 record in the previous season to 9-7-0 and a spot in the Preplayoffs against the Niederrhein Canucks. Stefan @Toews19 Schoierer led the squad on and off the ice. 48 points in 16 games meant a spot among the best scores of the league and simultaneously the best scorer who did not play for one of the Top 4 Teams in GCL4! The Polarbears swept the Canucks in Round 1 but eventually fell short to DPH in the Quarterfinals. With Werewolves HC a new hot team on the block made their way to the Playoffs. Bastian @ali-kn Wolf, Waldemar @Wowa_1995 Kern and Max @Toneee9 Tonitz built an impressive and highly skilled trio. Unfortunately their rather succesful debutseason ended with a Game 7 Loss to The Black Jacks in the Quarterfinals. For the second time in GCL history we should see a finals clash between the "Eidgenossen" and the Deadly Phantoms. In contrast to GCL2 the series was very tight and the Swiss squad seemed to close the gap towards DPH more and more with each season. But just as last season the Phantoms kept the upper hand as the series went to 7 games yet again. Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker decided the Championship in Overtime as he scored the 2:1 OT GWG. Cornerstone for this seasons success was Patrick @RPH_31 Braun with an impressive 89.01% Savepercentage during the Regular Season and Playoffs!

GCL5:  BRAYCE Phantoms vs.  Shooting Stars

In GCL5 we have seen quite a few changes and exciting developments in the DACH-Community. The Black Jacks signed a contract with the NLA powerhouse from Zürich and became the official Esports Team of ZSC Lions! The Eisbären Regensburg rebranded as EBR Esports Official and signed a contract with the Oberliga Team from Regensburg, Bavaria. Aswell as the Deadly Phantoms HC signing with BRAYCE and joining the league as the BRAYCE Phantoms! At the same time the German Championship League was divided into two divisions. While eleven Teams participated in Division 1, fourteen squads competed in Division 2 to gain promotion to the highest tier. The legendary Clowns On Ice eventually gained promotion, thanks to an exciting 4:3 final against UKnighted HC, a team consisting of many ECL1 veterans such as Dave @Asche Schäfer and Marko @Nr-0847 Reza. As already teasered in the previous paragraphs the new BRAYCE Phantoms continued their phenomenal dominance and secured seed #1 with a record of 18-1-1. The Shooting Stars (previously EV Füssen Esports), ZSC Lions and EBR Esports Official formed the Top 4 in this season. EV Duisburg could not compensate the departure of Defenseman Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz who joined the Phantoms right at the start of NHL20 - a record of 2-15-3 was not enough to secure a spot for Division 1 in GCL6, meaning they were the first team to get relegated into Division 2. Stephan @Krinke Krinke, a player who is competing in NHL since day one, was able to carry the Augsburg Panther to the Playoffs. Unfortunately the Bavarians fell short to ZSC Lions and got swept in the Quarterfinals in GCL5. While the BRAYCE Phantoms secured their 4th consecutive finals appearance, the Lions got steamtrained by the Shooting Stars in the Semifinals. A 4-0 sweep was a very surprising result back then considering the ECL Pro performances by the Swiss outfit. Tim @Timasy Heß was the MVP in the regular season and the playoffs as he led the Phantoms to a dominant and well deserved 4:0 Finals victory against the underdogs of the Shooting Stars. Four consecutive GCL Championships for the Phantoms already. Is there any possibility to stop their dominance?

GCL6:  BRAYCE Phantoms vs.  ZSC Esports

The 6th GCL took yet another all-time-high as 37 teams competed in two Divisions. We have not seen any changes in Division 1 as 12 teams participated and the Top 8 once again made the postseason. The number of Division 2 teams increased to 25 teams where the Red Light Jokers grabbed the title and promotion to the highest tier in GCL hockey as they beat the KSE Teutons in five games. Herzog @HerzogMagnus Magnus  put one of the most impressive Division 2 performances on the virtual ice as he scored 181 points in 40 games (Regular Season + Playoffs) - unfortunately for him it was not enough to win the Championship but their finals appearance still meant promotion to Division 1 in the following GCL7! For the first time the GCL Cup was played, too. A format well-known from real life sports, especially Football such as the DFB-Pokal or FA Cup, all teams across both Divisions participated in a Best-Of 1 Knockout Tournament. Inter Iceland crowned themselves first GCL Cup Champs with a 5:2 victory against ZSC Esports in the Final. The previously mentioned Werewolves HC signed a deal with the Oberliga Team ECDC Memmingen Indians and paved their way to their second semifinals appearance. But again they fell short in 6 games - this time to the dominant BRAYCE Phantoms. The regular season was a wild ride as we have seen many new players mix the league up. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg scored 49 points in 22 games and helped his team EBR Esports Official to grab overall seed #2 with a record of 18-4-0. The squad around captain Jonas @kandykills Fleischmann continued their strong form as they beat the Central Hockey Canucks in the Quarterfinals in 6 games. Patrick @Pathen-21- Hendrix and Matteo @DiMatteo70 Guenther played an impressive season for the Canucks from the lower Rhine Valley but the Polarbears from Bavaria seemed to be too strong in the postseason. Another squad worth mentioning was EIS FORCE Hockey. Shooting stars Nico @Nicoli2311 Schubert and Patrick @Paddyy1903 Steinmüller helped the young rookies to sneak on overall seed #6 and forced game 7 in the Quarterfinals against ZSC Esports. In the end the Swiss outfit maintained their role as the favourites on another GCL Finals appearance but the young guns from EIS FORCE Hockey mixed Division 1 up as no team ever before! In the end we should see a final between the Phantoms and the virtual Lions from Zürich for a third time in six seasons. After the first night it seemed that the momentum has shifted as ZSC Esports got a 2-0 serieslead against titleholders from BRAYCE. But on night two the Phantoms striked back. A few tactical adjustments changed the whole gameplay as they won four straight to secure their 5th consecutive GCL Championship!

GCL7:  ZSC Esports vs.  Team LEISURE

Due to the pandemic GCL7 set another record as 49 teams registered to play in the DACH Championship. To prevent bigger skillgaps in the divisions the League Adminstration decided to divide the league into three Divisions! AM United won the first Championship in Division 3 as they beat the DEL2 Squad of EC Bad Nauheim Esports with a stunning sweep. The Division 2 Finals went to seven games as Deggendorfer SC Esports managed to beat Swiss counterpart SCB Esports as the lowest seed in the playoff bracket. An impressive run by the Bavarians around Assistant-Captain Johannes @Johannes.Helmbrecht Helmbrecht who later that year won the Silvermedal in the German 1v1 Championship eDEL! At the start of NHL21 many changes took place as ECDC Memmingen Esports signed a deal with the German Esports Organization PENTA. Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle and Dominik @Domi_PENTA Rühl led the squad on and off the ice which unfortunately ended in yet another semifinal loss to ZSC Esports. Good comfort should follow later as they won the GCL Cup in a thrilling Overtime Win against Team LEISURE (previously BRAYCE Phantoms) as Akin @DaMan Isik scored a cheeky shortside snipe to win their first title! The Swiss Lions managed to kick the Phantoms off the "regular season" throne as they secured #1 seed with a record of 24-1-1. Max @Toneee9 Tonitz joined the team from Memmingen and had a massive impact on their game which eventually led to the promotion to ECL Elite, too! Captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi grabbed the virtual Hart Trophy scoring 79 points in 24 games. Especially the chemistry with his wingers Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner and Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni is what made ZSC so dangerous in that season! But was it enough to finally get their hands on that GCL Trophy? We will find out later! The BRAYCE Phantoms signed a deal with Team LEISURE. Instead of Black-Red-White the record champs swapped their colours to a more conservative Blue-Gold and had to compensate the departure of Tim @Timasy Heß who joined YMCA Esports in ECL Elite and later that season ZSC Esports - which is still to date one of the most surprising transfers in GCL History! EBR Esports Official changed their colours, too, as they rebranded as noRex Gaming. Overall seed #4 and another Quarterfinals win against the Central Hockey Canucks meant their second consecutive semifinals appearance. But it should not be enough to beat Team LEISURE as they fell short in 6 games. Worth mentioning is the performance of their Finnish Licenseplayer Mikka @Stigi Heinonkoski who scored 33 goals in 24 regular season games - the most goals of all GCL Players in that season. So, for the second straight year we should see another Finals clash between ZSC Esports and Team LEISURE. But this time the outcome was different to what we have seen in the previous seasons. The virtual Lions swept the 5-time defending Champion in icecold fashion and secured their first GCL Championship in their 4th final! Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich had an incredible postseason run as he recorded 6 shutouts in 12 games. One of the most dominating Playoffruns we have seen so far!

GCL8:  ZSC Esports vs.  Deadly Phantoms

 In the 8th iteration of the GCL we have seen a remodelling of the league structure due to the fact that only one DACH Championship was played in NHL22. On top the GCL 1v1 was played for the first time, too! 80 players took part in the first Online VS DACH Championship on SportsGamer! In the end the Austrian Max @Toneee9 Tonitz became the inaugural champ as he beat Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle in a tight final. But back to 6s action! 47 teams competed in one division which was split into four groups. Back to the roots the Deadly Phantoms once again secured seed #1 in the postseason with a record of 22-0-0 in their group. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg joined the ECL Elite juggernaut ZSC Esports from noRex Gaming together with his teammate Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert. Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer who developed to one of the best Defenseman in the German scene followed his two former noRex members after spending one season with the Phantoms in ECL'22 Spring Pro! noRex Gaming reset their roster as the young and very talented winger Damien @xCocii Baynes brought in Roope @pikkuroger Bergström who eventually scored 95 points in 14 games and secured a spot among the Top 10 scorers of GCL8! Another very young and ambitious Esports Team joined the league as the formerly Nürnberg Niddhoggr signed a deal with the DEL squad Nürnberg Ice Tigers. Especially Luca @cpt_dirtyDangler Knoll and Lennart @Lennart Hansen Hansen are two players who should be on everyones mind for the near future! The Franconian Ice Tigers paved their way straight to the quarterfinals but fell short to Team NGU (previously named PENTA) in five games. Team NGU, Deadly Phantoms and ZSC Esports were joined by a new highly effective team named Hyperion (previously named KSE Teutons). Veteran Stefan @Rayman Mieth had more than impressive numbers in GCL8 and always seemed to be in the right spot especially in the combination with young gun Paul @Pauner08 Weingart. In the semifinals Hyperion was defeated by ZSC Esports in five games who claimed their third consecutive GCL final. On the other hand the Deadly Phantoms swept Team NGU - Aleksi @MozjaTG Kähkonen joined on loan from ECL Elite Squad Tunnel Vision and had big impact on DPHs success. They left the underdogs no chance as we should see the same two teams clashing in the final round for the 5th time in eight seasons. Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann casted the finals and it was more exciting than ever. After session one the Lions took the 2:1 serieslead against the Phantoms with two clear victories and finished the job on the second night as they secured the title in six games. Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi decided game 6 in Overtime and became the hero to bring the title to Zürich, Switzerland for the second straight year. To top things off ZSC Esports secured the first GCL double that night, too, as they beat Hyperion in the GCL Cup Final 3:2. Was this the final end of the Phantoms dominance?

GCL9:  ZSC Esports vs.  Deadly Phantoms

Last season started right after ECL'23 Winter was finished! Just as in GCL8 the 1v1 Championship was played, too. In the end Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg crowned himself GCL9 1v1 Champ with a 3:1 Finals win against his ZSC teammate Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi! The League Administration decided to reset the league structure into two divisions as 16 teams, split into two groups, competed in Division 1 as the Top 4 of each group made the playoffs. 32 Squads participated and fought for promotion in Division 2. We witnessed the first Swiss Final between Ambri eSports and EHC Olten eSports as Ambri grabbed the Division 2 crown and secured the Division 2 Championship in five games. Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano had an incredible season with 111 points in 32 games (Regular Season + Playoffs). Worth mentioning that the Swiss outfit managed to gain promotion as the lowest seed just as Deggendorfer SC Esports a few seasons ago, too. In the GCL Cup ZSC Esports defended their title in Overtime against - who else - than the Deadly Phantoms. Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer decided the Final in Overtime after being down by one goal in the last minute in regular time. Worth mentioning is the performance of Division 2 Squad Old Dirty Primates. The Primates advanced to the Quarterfinals of the Cup and were beaten by the Schlittschuhclub Bern but showed their qualities in this competition. The best finish by a Division 2 team in the GCL Cup to date! The Deadly Phantoms melted with former squad Hyperion to form a new strong roster as longterm Captain Frank @Franky__2768 Münch took a step back and players like Maximilian @gzell60 Käsmaier and Dominik @CashAllGreen Bellersheim stepped into the Starting Six. The Phantoms grabbed Overall seed #2 right behind their eternal rivals of ZSC Esports and were followed by a quite surprising new team on the block. The Predators finished on rank two of Group 2! Slovakian Licenseplayer Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec carried the newcomers with his impressive skillset and underlined his ambitions with 31 points in 12 games. With Hannover Indians Esports, HC Lugano Esports and EHC Kloten Esports, who started as Gleumes Hockey Krefeld in the season before, three new official Esports teams joined the German Championship League. Unfortunately non of these teams were able to hold on to their ambitions and their run was finished after 16 games in the regular season. With Eisbären Lauf Gaming a new exciting and very ambitious squad joined the stage of Division 1 eHockey! Max @theburner18 Spachmüller and Thomas @newman_2909 Neumann were able to create a talented roster with a good mixture of experience by adding the legendary Josh @Hasek-39-- Plattner to their team. Unfortunately it should not be enough for a first playoff appearance in GCL9 but that did not stop them by spending their first season on Pro Level in ECL'23 Spring! In the Playoff bracket we have seen a similar image as in the previous GCLs. ZSC Esports, Deadly Phantoms and Team NGU paved their way to the Top 4 and were joined by Tobias @Hohner Hohner's Esports squad from RB Munich who beat the Predators in Round 1 of the postseason. Unfortunately for them they were not able to keep up with the speed of the ZSC Lions as they got swept despite a top notch performance by their Goalie Marcel @Capitano_82 Houdelet. So, for a fourth straight season the two juggernauts of the DACH Community clashed in the GCL Finals! As we saw Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann in the Commentator Box one more time the virtual Lions took a 3:0 serieslead after night one. Thanks to a clutch performance by licenseplayer Lenne @kemppainen39 Kemppainen who took over the position in the right Defense. In the second session the Phantoms striked back as they claimed victory in Games 4 and 5 and it seemed like the momentum has shifted as their confidence rised and they aimed for that reverse sweep. Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner, who rotated from Goaltender back into the right offensive position, decided Game 6 early on and ZSC Esports secured their back-to-back-to-back title with a 5:1 win! 

GCL10:

After a title for Inter Iceland in the inaugural GCL Season 1, the Deadly Phantoms were able to secure five(!) titles in a row! After their relegation from ECL Elite the momentum shifted towards their Swiss competitors as they secured three GCL Championships in a row now. In GCL10 both squads are heavy favourites on the title in the anniversary season yet again. Especially in a Best-Of-7 Playoffseries it is tough for any team in the league to kick ZSC or DPH from their throne. With RB Munich Esports and Eisbären Lauf Esports two more teams gained Pro Experience in ECL'23 Spring. It will be interesting to see if the experience on higher level will help them in the German Championship League, too. HC Lugano Esports had an incredible ECL Lite campaign, only falling short to the later champions of Mustaa Kultaa in the Quarterfinals. We can be excited to see if the Swiss outfit is able to compensate the departure of Jürgen @DangledYouOut Kloster into Division 2 and getting in Slovakian Forward Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec instead. Nürnberg Ice Tigers Esports also took steps into the right directions as they transferred two-time eNLA Champ Mirco @Tron1x90 Komir before last ECL'23 Spring Lite campaign who helped them to advance to the second round of the postseason. Especially in a season with big rotations expected due to holidays and vacation anything might happen. Once again a big thank you to @wobfighter, @adu83, @ManU287, @Drobele, @Myiama and @Justmaniac for organizing the jubilee Season for competetive 6s in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Will ZSC Esports get their hands on their 4th title in a row? Will the Deadly Phantoms be back on top? Or are we seeing an underdog paving their way to the finals and managing to surprise every player in a scene? Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann will be back in the booth again and joined by @RPH_31, @kandykills and @theburner18 live on twitch.tv/sportsgamerdach as we will present you a weeekly Broadcast!

We wish everyone an exciting GCL10 season. Play hard and smart and we will see you again in the Playoffs!

Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers,

Last week the GCL 9 season had it's final games in the form of the GCL 9 1v1 Finals between #2 seed Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg and #3 seed Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi. These are two highly skilled players, and what adds so much to the matchup is their great friendship off the ice too. Both represent the ZSC Esports organization, and with substantial domestic success already in their back pockets, both certainly wanted to clinch the 1v1 Championship too. Eventually, the best-of-five series required four games to be finished, as Keuschemisch managed to best his good friend with a 3-1 series score. All games were a good back and forth, but the Champion really utilized his scoring chances very effectively. 

Keuschemisch's road to the Championship:
Regular Season record: 14-0-0 (#2 seed)
Round 1: vs @schmiedli_68 3-0
Quarterfinals: vs @ProfaneKiss 3-2
Semifinals: vs @riegel29 3-0
Finals: vs @Original-SnuS 3-1

SportsGamer congratulates Kevin on his Championship and extends a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

After a long and very fluctuating season, GCL 6v6 action has come to an end. We have seen many thrilling matchups and upsets in the 4th iteration of the GCL Cup. Honorable mention: Division 2 squad Old Primates managed to advance to the quarterfinals but eventually fell short to SCB eSports! In the end ZSC Esports completes the "double" for the second consecutive season. After clinching the German Championship League title in the previous week, the Swiss outfit had to face the Deadly Phantoms once again for the final time this season. In a thrilling and exciting Best-of-1 final the virtual lions came back from a 1-3 deficit and equalized 38 seconds before the end of regulation. With the 4-3 OT Win the Lions secured first back-to-back doubles in GCL history! Austrian Phantoms forward Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss secures the top scoring title (10G+12A in 5GP) in this campaign. On behalf of the whole community we want to congratulate ZSC Esports and thank all participants. See you next season!

Take a look at the OT GWG by Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer 👇

ZSC Esports' road to the Cup:

• Round 1: Bye
• Round 2: vs EV Duisburg 8-0
• Round 3: vs Hannover Indians e Sports 5-0
• Quarterfinals: vs HC Lugano eSports 4-3
• Semifinals: vs SCB eSports 2-1
• Finals: vs Deadly Phantoms 4-3 OT

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS
#22 Reto @afc_Tschitsch(eTschitsch) Ulrich (A)
#28 Alex @IDangledYouOut(I_Alex28_I) Wagner

DEFENSEMEN
#9 Max @Toneee9 Tonitz (A)
#13 Reto @Haldeem Haldemann

FORWARDS
#2 Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer
#21 Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C)
#39 Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

SportsGamers,

not only Division 1 hockey was played in the DACH area! The Swiss NLA team of Ambri eSports secured the Division 2 title in the German Championship League and secured promotion to the top 16 of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Despite starting into the playoffs as the lowest seed, the Swiss outfit managed to cruise through the postseason including two sweeps and a breathtaking game 7 drama in the semifinals. Ambri Forward Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano secured the topscoring title in the regular season (26G + 35A in 16GP) aswell as the playoffs (24G + 25A in 15 GP). On behalf of the whole SportsGamer community we would like to congratulate Ambri eSports and a warm thank you to all other participants in Division 2!

Ambri eSports' road to the Championship:

• #8 overall seed from group 2 with the record 8-6-2
• Quarterfinals: vs EV Duisburg (1) 4-0
• Semifinals: vs Old Primates (2) 4-3
• Finals: vs EHC Olten eSports (3) 4-0

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS
#39 Roman @FrenchGoalie Lefebrve

DEFENSEMEN
#85 Samuele @Bergente85 Del Curto (A)
#89 Brendan @JPBROO Laroux (C)

FORWARDS
#9 Kris @iWeeb22 Webdano
#10 John @x-bluewhite-x Leclair
#21 Sakari @Sekotettu Kaulaote
#24 Giulio @Giulio2497 Costa
#69 Hector @flamingo81403 Savage (A)
#70 Crazy @Barclay11 Machete

We wish all DACH teams good luck in the upcoming ECL'23 Spring!

SportsGamers,

The ninth iteration of the German Championship League kicked off in mid-February and the DACH gamers have once again crowned their Champion. The Swiss ECL Elite juggernaut ZSC Esports secured their third consecutive GCL championship, beating their eternal rivals Deadly Phantoms in six games. After a whopping 5:1 victory in game six, the virtual Lions secured their first "Threepeat" after one of the most dominant GCL campaigns in DACH eHockey history. Finishing their regular season with a perfect record of 14-0-0  including the best offense (104 GF) and defense (22 GA) in the league. Left Forward Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg secured back-to-back regular season scoring titles (31G + 50A in 14GP) while Center and Captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi secured the topscorer title in this postseason (33G + 26A in 14GP).

The series was casted live on twitch.tv/sportsgamerdach by Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann. Take a look at the final Championship winning goal by Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner in Game six:

ZSC Esports' road to the championship:

• #1 overall seed from group 1 with the record 14-0-0
• Quarterfinals: vs Deggendorfer SC Esports (8) 4-0
• Semifinals: vs Red Bull Munich Esports (6) 4-0
• Finals: vs Deadly Phantoms (2) 4-2

The winning roster:

GOALTENDERS
#11 Pierre @RedPi(CestQuiLuiii) Lerouge
#22 Reto @afc_Tschitsch(eTschitsch) Ulrich (A)
#28 Alex @IDangledYouOut(I_Alex28_I) Wagner

DEFENSEMEN
#9 Max @Toneee9 Tonitz (A)
#13 Reto @Haldeem Haldemann
#93 Lenne @kemppainen39 Kemppainen

FORWARDS
#2 Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer
#21 Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C)
#39 Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg

Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

Tonight we'll be kicking off the GCL9 Finals with a banger of a series! ZSC Esports and the Deadly Phantoms will be battling it out this week with games 1-3 tonight, followed by the rest of the series next week. Will the ZSC Esports secure their first "threepeat" or will the Deadly Phantoms back on top in the DACH community? Who do you think will hoist the trophy?

ZSC Esports (1) vs. Deadly Phantoms (2) (written by @OGjahajaha)

TOP SCORER (Playoffs)
Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg 8 GP, 16+34=50 vs. Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss 12 GP, 19+10=29

GOALTENDER (Playoffs)
Alex @IDangledYouOut(I_Alex28_I) Wagner 8 GP, 8 W, 89,16 SV%, 1.13 GAA, 2 SO vs. Patrick @RPH_31 Braun 5 GP, 3 W, 77,36 SV%, 2.4 GAA, 0 SO

REGULAR SEASON RECORD
14-0-0 vs. 10-1-3

PLAYOFF RECORD

8-0-0 vs. 8-2-2

For the fourth consecutive time we are seeing ZSC Esports and Deadly Phantoms clash in the GCL finals! While the former German juggernaut of the Phantoms secured five consecutive titles (from GCL2 to GCL6), the Swiss Lions will be keen on crowning themselves back-to-back-to-back DACH champion for the first time. While ZSC Esports secured their spot in the finals with two comfortable sweeps against Deggendorfer SC Esports and Red Bull Munich Esports, the German outfit had to go through two tougher matchups. Beating DEG Esports in round 1 in five games and securing their final spot with a game 7 semifinals victory over Team NGU. Both teams are well-experienced and have faced each other many times in the German Championship League. We do not expect anything less than a tight and exciting series to finish this 9th GCL campaign. One of the most important factor for the success of each team will be consistency. 

Community prediction: 4-3 ZSC Esports

Community players-to-watch: Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg & Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss

Just as last year, we are very proud that Alexander @BloodyLP Blattmann will present the German Championship League finals live on twitch.tv/sportsgamerdach. We are live at 20:50 CEST. Make sure to tune in! Play hard and smart!

SportsGamers,

the GCL9 semifinals have arrived! 16 teams started into the season and now we have come down to only four remaining. We have seen some exciting ehockey action in the quarterfinals and are looking forward to see which two teams will pave their way to the finals! In the following we venture a look at the upcoming two semifinal matchups.

 ZSC Esports (1) vs.  Red Bull Munich eSports (6) (written by @OGjahajaha)

The back-to-back champion faces another well known opponent from the regular season: Red Bull Munich eSports. The Swiss ECL Elite playoff quarterfinalist clashed with the Red Bulls from Munich on matchday one of the regular season and grabbed full points with two convincing wins (10:3 & 4:0). In the meantime RB Munich eSports brought in Lauri @Lamsa Lamsa (11G+7A) on the right wing and improved their game massively. Underlining their ambitions with a solid 4:1 series victory against the Predators (1:2OT, 4:2, 5:0, 7:3, 4:2) in the first round of the postseason, the Red Bulls will be keen on creating a big upset against the title favorites from Zürich. The virtual Swiss Lions faced Deggendorfer SC Esports in the quarterfinals and it is safe to say that we have seen one of the most dominant playoff performances in GCL history with a 4:0 sweep - three massive wins (12:1, 7:3 & 11:0) followed by an absolute blowout to close the series in game four (24:1). Without any surprise these results catapult the Lions offense to the top of the leaderbords with Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg (15G+27A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (23G+16A) and Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (12G+22A) in just four games played. Both goalies can play a very important role in the upcoming semfinals. While Alex @IDangledYouOut(I_Alex28_I) Wagner sits on top of the table with four wins, SV 87,8% and a GAA of 1.25, he is followed by Red Bulls goaltender Marcel @Capitano_82 (Houddel_RBM) Houdelet who records a more than solid 88,16% and a GAA of 1.8. Houdelet can become the decisive factor in this series considering the fact how many shots he is going to face. Between the pipes RB Munich eSports can lay the foundation for their success but have to be very effective up front to hurt ZSC eSports in their fast pace playing style. If the Swiss juggernauts are able to continue their dominant performances they will advance to their 4^th consecutive GCL final!

Player to watch: Kevin @KeuschemischBerg & Marcel @Capitano_82(Houddel_RBM) Houdelet

Prediction: 4:0 ZSC Esports

 Deadly Phantoms (2) vs.  Team NGU (5)

For the 2^nd time in a row we are seeing the Deadly Phantoms facing Team NGU in the semifinals of the German Championship League! Last year the Phantoms swept their ECL Pro counterparty on their way to the finals. This season NGU will be keen on beating the German powerhouse and make their first GCL final appearance possible! In the quarterfinals the Phantoms managed to beat the Düsseldorfer EG eSports 4:1 (6:2, 1:4, 3:0, 3:2, 5:1). After a shaky start into the series the 5-time German Champion adapted really well and beat the DEG in very solid fashion. Tim @Timasy Hess moved into the lineup for the last two games and could be a decisive factor for the game of former “Team LEISURE”. Denis @CCBow-501 Roethele is the current topscorer in the team (5G+6A), sharing that spot with Austrian old hand Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss (9G+2A). Just as in the regular season the linups of the Deadly Phantoms have seen quite some big rotation. In the matchup against the eSports team of the Düsseldorfer EG they were still able to show their qualities and maintain their position as a German juggernaut - no matter the lineup. We can expect Team NGU to be a more competitive opponent in this semifinals series. The squad around Akin @DaMan(Akin_Penta) Isik (6G+8A) and Bryan @CuteTerminator7 Bolliger (6G+10A) managed to beat Swiss outfit SC Bern eSports in the first round (4:2 series) despite their lower seed (4:1, 5:4OT, 1:2OT, 4:3, 0:1, 5:4OT). Forward and loanplayer Patrik @Winci Wenzel (6G+5A) is the player to watch in the upcoming series. The Czech is a great addition to the roster and can decide games with his individual skillset and hockey-IQ. Now they have the chance to show if they drew the right conclusions after being swept in the semifinals of GCL8 by the same opponent. Due to the roster changes for the Deadly Phantoms and the experience Team NGU earned in last ECL’23 Winter we can expect a closer series than in GCL8. Small details will make the difference and decide who will pave their way to the GCL9 finals.

Players to watch: Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss & Patrik @Winci Wenzel

Prediction: 4:2 Deadly Phantoms

On top of that Quarterfinals of the GCL9 Cup were drawn. The matchups have to be played until Thursday the 23rd March. Play hard and smart!

HC Lugano Esports vs. ZSC Esports

Lions Academy vs. Deadly Phantoms

Düsseldorfer EG Esports vs. Team NGU

Old Primates vs. SCB eSports

SportsGamers,

The regular season of the 9^th iteration of the German Championship League is done. While the two DACH powerhouses ZSC Esports and Deadly Phantoms secured the top seeds for the postseason, we have seen a few new faces stepping up causing quite some surprises in the regular season. Now it is time to take a closer look at the upcoming Best-Of-7 Quarterfinal series in GCL 9!

 ZSC Esports (1) vs.  Deggendorfer SC Esports (8) (written by @OGjahajaha)

The back-to-back Champion from Switzerland will face a familiar opponent: DSC Esports. The two teams already met in the regular season with two spectacular goalfestivals (10:6 & 11:2 W for ZSC Esports). While the Swiss juggernauts grabbed the #1 overall seed with a perfect record (14-0-0), the Bavarian underdogs grabbed the last playoffspot with two important wins on their last matchday. While Deggendorf is well known for their quick counterattacks they need to find a way to stabilize their defense. 67 goals conceded in 14 games is the worst defense out of all 16 GCL teams. On the other hand ZSC Esports scored the most goals (104) and conceded the least goals (22) in the whole league. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg (31G+50A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (34G+29A), Max @Toneee9 Tonitz (6G+47A) and Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (20G+26A) can all be found among the top 4 scorers of the league. For Deggendorfer SC Esports it will be a mammoth task to breakdown their offensive game.

Players to watch: Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi & Tobias @blechi12 Blechinger

Predicition: 4-0 ZSC Esports

 Deadly Phantoms (2) vs.  Düsseldorfer EG eSports (7)

 Two of the most experienced teams in the DACH-Community will face each other in the quarterfinals of GCL9! While the Deadly Phantoms have seen quite a few changes to their roster, melting into one team with former ECL Lite Quarterfinalist “Hyperion”, DEG eSports are still led by their two veterans Steffen @Seibertus94(Leuch-T) Leuchtenberger and Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Göpfert. While the Phantoms grabbed rank 1 in group 2 of GCL 9 with a record of 10-1-3, Düsseldorf managed to secure rank 4 in the same group on the last matchday. The matchup in the regular season of these two teams could not have been any more contrary. A 7:0 win for the Phantoms in game 1 faces a 6:5 OT win for DEG eSports in game 2. The key factor for this series will be consistency. The Deadly Phantoms used 12 different players during the regular season while their opponent relied on the same lineup most of the times. Especially DEG topscorer Alexander @Fire_019 Eder (16G+14A) can hurt the German juggernaut on counterattacks. If the Phantoms find their lineup, consistency and rhythm for the playoffs they should advance to the semifinals.

Players to watch: Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz & Alexander @Fire_019 Eder

Prediction: 4-1 Deadly Phantoms

 Predators (3) vs.  Red Bull Munich eSports (6)

 Surely on of the biggest surprises in the 9^th campaign of GCL hockey are the Predators! @LTorro managed to create a very balanced team of experienced and very talented young players. Playing all 14 games in the same lineup shows the consistency and is surely one of the reasons for their recent success. Especially Slovakian loanplayer Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec (12G+19A) is an exciting player to watch who adds the needed scoring touch to their offensive game. Their regular season record of 10-3-1 on rank 2 of group 2 underline their solid performances. But will they be able to maintain their game in the post season? Red Bull Munich eSports had a tough start to the season but came back on track thanks to a 5 game winning streak in the middle of the season, giving them that decisive push to the playoffs. The experienced Lauri @Lamsa Lamsa added that needed scoring ability. The Finnish loanplayer is always able to create danger around the opponents net and makes his teammates better. While Predators were more consistent during the season, the Red Bulls dropped many points in tight matchups. This can be the x-factor in a long and tight quarterfinalseries.

Players to watch: Florian @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) Griechbaum & Roland @jasomnajlepsi Nemec

Prediction: 4-3 Predators

 SCB eSports (4) vs.  Team NGU (5)

 Another very tight and exciting series in the quarterfinals of GCL9! The Swiss Esports Squad from Bern managed to secure a strong rank 2 in group 1 right behind their countrymen of ZSC Esports. Winning 7 out of their last 8 games it seems like SCB Esports have found their scoring touch right in time! The ECL Pro Qualifier participant of Team NGU once again added loanplayers Jani @Jaks_10 Sallila and Czech ECL Lite Champion Patrik @Winci Wenzel to their squad. Team NGU recovered from a four game losing streak and finished with a record of 9-4-1, winning even one more game than their quarterfinal opponent from Switzerland! While the Esports team of the “Schlittschuh Club Bern” used 11 players during the regular season, we could find mainly the same lineup for Team NGU on the other side. Akin @DaMan(Akin_Penta) Isik (9G+9A) and Bryan @CuteTerminator7  Bolliger switched roles which seemed to have worked quite well towards the end of the season in combination with one of their two licenseplayers on the other wing! Despite their lower seed but due to their experience on higher level Team NGU should be able to win this series and advance to the top 4 in GCL 9!

Players to watch: Bryan @CuteTerminator7  Bolliger & Yves @Bille123(Bille1990) Bill

Predicition: 4-2 Team NGU

SportsGamers,

After a long season in NHL22 we are able to present to you your first GCL 1v1 Champion: Max @Toneee9 Tonitz wins the title in our inaugural German Championship 1v1 league and beats Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle in a tight and exciting Final! The Austrian manages to secure his "GCL Hattrick" after winning the 6v6 GCL8 league and cup title with ZSC Esports. 

Which team did you choose on the way to your Championship?

"I choose the Tampa Bay Lightning. Good mixture of star players such as Kucherov and Stamkos, as well as big defenders to bump opponents off the puck like Victor Hedman who is without a doubt the meta in NHL22."

What has made you such a dominant player during the season despite not spending much time in the 1v1 mode?

"Right after the motto defense wins championships I focused on defense first. Not conceding is always a good fundamental to success. Another important aspect in my game is patience in both ends of the ice but at the same time driving to the net and always looking for that scoring opportunity. In the end I am very happy that these traits which are important in 6v6, also lead to success in 1v1!"

Let's take a look back at @Toneee9's road to the Championship:

Group Stage record:

16-0-0 (#2 seed)

Round 1

vs @Player-Chris1992 3-0

Round 2

vs @Palawatsch 3-0

Quarterfinals

vs @CuteTerminator7 3-0

Semifinals

vs @cpt_dirtyDangler 3-1

Finals

vs @Kevinator-373 3-2

SportsGamer would like to congratulate Max @Toneee9 Tonitz on a tremendous season and winning his first Championship. A big thank you to all players of the DACH-Community who participated and made this tournament possible!

SportsGamers,

The eighth season of GCL action kicked off in mid-June and these passionate gamers have been going at it throughout the hot summer months to once again crown a champion of the DACH-community. It's been the deal of two juggernauts lately as the long time torchbearer Deadly Phantoms has been joined by Swiss outfit ZSC Esports at the very top of the tables. At the end, it was a battle between these two that we got to witness in the finals, and eventually ZSC Esports came out on top! This is the second consecutive championship for the Lions.

To cap off their successful night, also the GCL Cup final was played, where the Lions faced Hyperion. Despite the excellent challenge posed by Hyperion, they didn't manage to stand up to the giants, and Zürich secured their second trophy for the night, the first time ever a team wins both the GCL league and the GCL Cup in the same season. 

ZSC Esports' road to the championship:

• #1 seed from group 2 with the record 19-1-0
• Round 1: Bye
• Round 2: vs Beastie Boys (29) 4-0
• Round 3: vs EiSKALATiON (13) 4-0
• Quarterfinals: vs SCB eSports (10) 4-0
• Semifinals: vs Hyperion (2) 4-1
• Finals: vs Deadly Phantoms (1) 4-2

The winning roster:
GOALTENDERS
#3 Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert
#22 Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich
#26 Mike @burban26 Müller (A)

DEFENSEMEN
#2 Chris @GERxVillain Ungeheuer
#9 Max @Toneee9 Tonitz (A)
#13 Reto @Haldeem Haldemann
#86 Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala

FORWARDS
#21 Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C)
#23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen
#28 Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner
#39 Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg
 

Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!

SportsGamers,

The 8th season of the German Championship League is just around the corner and we want to take a closer look at the most exciting teams this upcoming season. Who are the favourites for the title? Which teams could prove themselves as "David" against the expected "Goliaths" in the league? We will see many exciting teams and tight matchups in the upcoming GCL8 but we decided to take a litter closer look on the following teams. Make sure to let us know in the comments down below which teams you are most excited to see!

Previews written by @Keuschemisch and @Francoconte

 ZSC Esports:

The reigning GCL Champion seems to be the biggest favourite in the 8th season of the German Championship League! The Swiss outfit managed to add Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg and Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert before last ECL '22 Spring to their already strong roster. Both players played a big role in their Elite debut season which eventually lead to rank 10 and missing the playoffs just by a small margin. Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer followed the path of his former "noRex Gaming" teammates and will reinforce the Lions after playing one season in ECL '22 Spring Pro for the Deadly Phantoms. Captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi, Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Mike @burban26 Müller were able to reinforce the team once again and the roster looks stronger than ever. To secure more depth to the offensive and defensive end, Finnish loan players Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala (Frölunda HC) and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (hREDS) join the blue and red for the upcoming GCL. While Reto @afc_Tschitsch (eTschitsch) Ulrich will take the role as a backup goalie, we can expect Alex @IDangledYouOutWagner to show off his scoring abilities once again, after finishing as the teams top scorer in ECL '22 Spring Elite (17G + 24A - 28GP). The only Elite participant from the DACH-Community will be in favour of securing their first back-to-back GCL title. Anything else than another final appearance would be a big disappointment.

Prediction: Title favourite

 Deadly Phantoms:

The German juggernaut will be keen on getting back the title after getting swept by ZSC Esports in the finals of GCL7. Frank @Franky__2768 Münch, Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz, Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss and Patrick @RPH_31 Braun are still the foundation of the ECL Pro participant. It will be interesting to see if the two veterans Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker and Tim @Timasy Hess will be part of the Phantoms starting six or if freshly added winger Nico @Nicoli2311 Schubert will find his place in the offense of the German outfit. After the departure of Florian @Flo_goes_grazy(flgr93) Griechbaum it will be very important to find their rhythm right from the start of the season. In our opinion it is highly possible to see the Phantoms back in the finals!

Prediction: Title challenger

 Geekz Energy Esports:

Another Pro Team of the DACH-Community is set to make it far in the playoffs! After a rather disappointing season in GCL7 (Seed #7; 0:4 in the Quarterfinals against former Team LEISURE; now Deadly Phantoms again) Captain Joshua @Hasek100 Plattner added high quality to his roster! Stephan @Krinke Krinke joined the former Inter Iceland from PENTA and had a big impact in the last ECL '22 Spring Pro but eventually fell short to Växjo Lakers (1:4) in the first round of the playoffs. Geekz Energy Esports is well-known for their quick and dangerous counter attacks. Especially Stefan @Stefan_397 Hämmerle is a nightmare for every goalie in the league. Both forwards will be glad about the arrival of the Swiss veteran Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni who joins on loan from ZSC Esports. It will be interesting to see what starting six we are going to see at the beginning of the regular season! As good as Geekz's offense has been in the past, the defense has been the teams weakness - especially in tight matchups and long playoff series. Nevertheless we can expect to see Geekz Energy Esports making the semifinals!

Prediction: Top 4

 Hyperion:

Another possible semifinalist could be Hyperion! The team around the SportsGamer veterans Stefan @Rayman Mieth and Maximilian @gzell60 Käsmaier has improved a lot and seemed to have taken the next step in last ECL'22 Spring Lite. Young gun Paul @Xx__PaulZz__xX (Pauner08) Weingart matured a lot - his skillset and silky hands can be dangerous to any team in the upcoming season. Dominik @CashAllGreen Bellersheim organizes the defense and is surely one of the main reasons for the success of Hyperion! The "Gladiators" have a good mixture of experienced veterans and upcoming talents that could make it very far in the postseason!

Prediction: Battle for Top 4

 Team NGU:

The former PENTA has seen quite a radical change in its squad! Captain Akin @DaMan (Akin71) Isik and Dominik @Domi_PENTA Rühl who have been teammates for several seasons now, managed to add big experience from Switzerland. After adding Bryan @CuteTerminator7 Bolliger before last ECL'22 Spring Lite to the team, we can expect to see eNLA 1v1 Back-To-Back Champion Mirco@Tron1x90 (Komir_90) Salvi and Kyle @KG12PK88 Grossen opening up the play from behind! A well balanced roster can give Team NGU the edge in tight matchups and secure a good seed for the playoffs! It will be exciting to see how NGU performs in a long playoff series and how they will position themselves in the league. Will they be able to maintain their status as a top 6 team and maybe even beat favoured teams on their postseason journey?

Prediction: Battle for Top 4

 Herforder Ice Dragons:

After getting relegated in the last GCL7, the Herforder Ice Dragons bounced back in ECL'22 Spring Core. Tobias @Hohner Hohner drew the right conclusions and managed to form a very competetive and strong squad! After falling short in the Core Quarterfinals to Finnish Outfit Etelan Vetelat, Nico @Nicoli2311 Schubert decided to part ways and join the Deadly Phantoms. They found the perfect substitute in Jürgen @DangledYouOut (TIUINIA) Kloster who brings the experience of several seasons at the Pro level and the combination with Center Christoph @IiVAPOR100iI Stotz should cause a stir offensively! One more addition made right before the start of the regular season is Arttu @laitineen64 Laiitinen, who joins on loan from ECL'22 Spring Elite semifinalist GOONS. The Finnish winger had an incredible season, scoring 56 points in 30 games. If Laiitinen will take the role as a backup player or find himself in the starting six of Herford could be a decisive factor for their game. One player the whole league should watch is Tim @LeMalkin71 Strompf who looks like one of the most exciting upcoming defenders in the German community. If the Ice Dragons can continue on their good momentum, a good seed for the postseason should be their main goal!

Prediction: Top 8

 DEG Esports:

The Esports team of the Düsseldorfer EG has become an institution in the DACH-Community. Steffen @Seibertus94 (Leucht-T) Leuchtenberger and Daniel @DangerBrooklyn Goepfert are very important pillars and the foundation of DEG Esports! After experiencing many changes to the squad in the last couple of seasons, the DEG always managed to set their roster right in time! The red and yellow outfit is well-known for simple hockey and will surely find themselves in the postseason.

Prediction: Top 16

 Central Hockey Canucks:

The Canucks are also one of the teams that experienced big changes within their roster. Once again the former "Niederrhein Canucks" managed to retrieve many familiar faces! Daniel @Daniel Thenextone Reinhardt, Dominik  @xDurchf4ll_- Mosser, Much @Much1979 Ramu, Jamie @Da1m0n Fischer and Dean @daen Zimmermann are all back at their former domain. On top of that the squad is reinforced by Michael @devilfish333 Herold and Peter @Peter Zelko (Zelkovci) Zelko between the pipes! For the Canucks it will be about building chemistry and finding their rhythm. @HerzogMagnus and @Baby Thornton (xxICEFORCERxx) can play decisive roles in the attack of the team. Qualifying for the playoffs has to be priority number one!

Prediction: Top 16

 Gleumes Hockey Krefeld:

Surely one of the teams that took one of the biggest steps in the GCL. Gleumes Hockey Krefeld is slowly but steadily taking the steps in the right direction and improving the squad on every position on the virtual ice. The team profits from continuity and a calm environment within the roster. Captain Manuel @ManU287 Engels brought Patrick @Pathen-21- Hendrix and Oliver @Red09Dragon08 Knapp to Krefeld who already proved themselves in the playoffs of GCL Division 1 aswell as in ECL Pro and Lite! We expect to see Gleumes in the playoffs. Where will their journey end?

Prediction: Top 16

 Thunder United:

After missing the last ECL '22 Spring season, the Thunder is back for GCL action. A very well-balanced team that has the potential to grab a good seed in the regular season which could pave their way to a succesful playoff run? Sandro @SanDeRolino Ryman brought familiar faces back together such as Jan @Janstetze Stetze and Kevin @Gregson91 Householder. On top of that Thunder United added a bit of Elite experience in Jim @SadaPoika Leskinen and  Juhani @Tanski87 Tanskanen (both Falun Coal Miners) to give them the edge in tight matchups. Especially in group 3 many outcomes are possible. Where will Thunder United see themselves after the season?

Prediction: Top 16

 Deggendorfer SC Esports:

Much alike Thunder United, the Esports Team from Deggendorf missed out on the last ECL '22 Spring to reset for GCL8. After winning the Divison 2 title of last years GCL7, the Bavarians are keen on proving themselves among the best teams from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Since most of the squad knows each other on and off the virtual ice we can expect a great team spirit within DSC Esports. Player to watch: Johannes @Johannes.Helmbrecht Helmbrecht. The talented defender made it to the finals of the eDEL (German 1v1 Championship) and determines the pace of Deggendorfs game.

Prediction: Top 32

 Eisbären Lauf Gaming:

Talking about teams from Bavaria: The ECL Core outfit of Eisbären Lauf is also one of the most improved teams in the community. After falling short in the second round of the ECL playoffs, Max @theburner18 Spachmüller and Thomas @newman_2909 Neumann added Marko @Nr-0847 Reza to give their team a bit more defensive calmness and experience. To decide tight matchups veteran Stefan @Toews19(BarriosLucas18) Schoierer and @Linkku60 should always be able to make the difference - especially against teams on the same level as the polar bears! Playoffs are more than feasible.

Prediction: Top 32

 Nürnberg Ice Tigers eSports:

The official Esports squad for the DEL Club from Nuremberg could prove themselves as a stumbling block for many perceived top teams of the league. Luca @cpt_dirtyDangler Knoll and Eric @AveRxDallas Polk proved themselves among the best German 1v1 players in the eDEL and steadily improved during the last ECL seasons. 1v1 eSpengler Cup 2021 champion Kevin @Kevinator-373 Würterle joined from Team NGU and is able to accompany the Ice Tigers to the next level. 

Prediction: Top 32

With that, we're now ready to get the action started! Perhaps some of these teams will prove us wrong as the season progresses, and we're happy to watch that unfold! Play hard, and have fun!

NHLGamers,

The seventh season of the German Championship League has been concluded and while it's bittersweet to see long-time torchbearers Team LEISURE have to give up the throne, we are happy to crown the Swiss ZSC Esports our new champions! It's been a long time coming for the Swiss club captained by Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi, as the squad has grinded their way up the European ranks and seem to be peaking at just the right moments as of late. On behalf of the entire NHLGamer community - congratulations!

 ZSC Esports - Road to the championship:

Regular season record: 24-1-1 (1st)
Quarterfinals: vs Hyperion 4-0
Semifinals: vs PENTA 4-0
Finals: vs Team LEISURE 4-0 

Championship roster:

GOALTENDERS
#22 Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich
#26 Mike @burban26 Mueller

DEFENSEMEN
#5 Eetu @Raikkoneeh Räikkönen
#9 Max @Toneee9 Tonitz
#13 Reto @Haldeem Haldemann

FORWARDS
#4 Juergen @DangledYouOut Kloster
#21 Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi
#28 Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner
#71 Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni
#84 Tim @Timasy Hess

If you missed the finals, you can rewatch the broadcast below:

NHLGamers,

The waiting has finally come to an end and the Finals of the German Championship League will be played this week. While ZSC Esports swept PENTA in the semifinals, noRex Gaming challenged Team LEISURE to a six-game-series (4:2) in their respective matchup. LEISURE will try everything to realize their dream of the sixth championship in a row and beat the hottest team of the German community in the finals. Will ZSC be able to beat Team LEISURE after two comfortable sweeps in the quarter and semifinals? Is Team LEISURE hungry enough to secure yet another championship? In the following piece, we want to take a closer look at both teams and the matchups on each positions. The series will be played in a best-of-seven format and will be broadcasted live on Twitch.tv/NHLGamer!

#1  ZSC Esports vs Team LEISURE  #2

Throughout the history of the GCL, there has never been such a close Final. In ZSC Esports and Team LEISURE, it really comes down to the two best german-speaking teams facing each other. Who will be crowned champion on Thursday? In the Regular Season we saw two close games (3:1 W for Team LEISURE & 3:2 W for ZSC Esports). During their Playoff run, the Swiss team managed to sweep Hyperion and PENTA on their way to the final. Did ZSC draw the right conclusions from last years loss in the finals of GCL6? ZSC scored 29 and only conceded 11 goals in 8 games throughout this run so far. This once again illustrates the individual talent as well as the good chemistry in their roster. Team LEISURE also swept Inter Iceland in the quarterfinals and had to deliver a hard fight in a 4:2 series win over noRex Gaming. 35 goals scored versus 17 conceded show the offensive power of Team LEISURE and how they managed to continue their good form from the regular season. Will the Championship be decided on offense or will defense once again win the championship?

Goalies: @afc_Tschitsch & @burban26 for  ZSC Esports vs @RPH_31 & @FoxGoalie for Team LEISURE

Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich got on track right in time for the start of the playoffs. While his backup Mike @burban26 Müller is delivering as a brilliant commentator, the Swiss team found a clear job division in their netminding department. A strong save percentage of nearly 83% and three shutouts show the individual class that @afc_Tschitsch holds at his best. With 52 shots faced, ZSC's number 22 faces the least shots against throughout the league, which is an indication of ZSC's good defensive play. In the finals, Ulrich will have to show his best performance to make the championship reality for his club. LEISURE's forwards will challenge him more than he was in the semi- or quarterfinal series. On the side of the defending champions, we have a rock solid duo: Patrick @RPH_31 Braun aka "0 Ping RPH" played 8 games while Mark @FoxGoalie Thiel was in net for two games in the quarterfinals against Inter Iceland. Most likely, Braun will be starter in the Finals due to his strong performances so far this season. A GAA of 1.88 and a solid save percentage of 80% makes RPH31 once again one of the best Goalies in the league. Braun faced more shots than his counterpart for ZSC, which could be an advantage in a long series. Considering that Team LEISURE already faced two of Germany's top teams (Inter Iceland & noRex Gaming), the team will be in good form and hard to stop. With his experience and coolness, @RPH_31can be the decisive factor in this series.

Predicition: Advantage Team LEISURE

Defense: @Toneee9& @Haldeem  for  ZSC Esports vs @Franky__2768 & @xXPsykoSkillsXx for Team LEISURE

What a Matchup! In the Finals of GCL 7 we will arguably see four of the best defenders of the German community. With Max @Toneee9 Tonitz and Reto @Haldeem Haldemann, ZSC Esports has one of the best defensive duos on the central server who are only playing their second season together. During their run in ECL 11 Pro the chemistry between the Austrian and Swiss defensemen improved a lot and was one of the main reasons for Zürichs promotion to ECL Elite. With 12 points in 8 games, Tonitz's amazing form continues and has the third most takeaways in the playoffs after Niklas @xXPsykoSkillsXx Schmitz and Christian @GERxVillain Ungeheuer (noRex Gaming). We will see how well the defensive pair will be able to outplay Team LEISUREs forecheck or find solutions to unlock a more defensive minded trap if required. Team LEISURE sports a well-functioning and experienced pair at their back end. Frank @Franky__2768 Münch and @xXPsykoSkillsXx have lead Team LEISURE's defense over the last six seasons and have assisted their teammates throughout this time in brilliant fashion. Especially @Franky__2768 seems to have found great form this season, overtaking his colelague Schmitz as the top scoring defenseman. With six goals and 14 assists, Münch scored the most goals out of any defenseman in the playoffs. On top of that he secures rank 3 overall in scoring in the playoffs too. Any mistake can be decisive in these matches. The experience and routine as well as Münch's brilliant form might be the decisive factor in a long final series!

Predicition: Advantage Team LEISURE

Offense: @IDangledYouOut, @Freeman7187, @Timasy & @Original-SnuS  for  ZSC Esports vs @Krinke, @ProfaneKiss & @PlaymakerSJ for Team LEISURE

With the offensive power of both teams we are likely to see one of the best duels of the German community to date. While ZSC Esports played their quarter and semifinals series with an unusual lineup it will be interesting to see if captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi will return to the starting six in the finals. Tim @Timasy Hess replaced Julmi as a center and his brilliant performances have made him playoffs top scorer. 22 points in 8 games ranks him as number 1 in the league - this could bethe x-factor in the matchup against his former teammates. With Claudio @Freeman7187 Salamoni (8+9=17) and Alex @IDangledYouOut Wagner (7+8=15), ZSC Esports has arguably the best winger duo in the league. Both can decide any match at any time with a dangerous shot or creative dekes and moves. Many variations are possible and ZSC is able to rotate without any loss of quality. As in the defense, Team LEISURE trusts their well-functioning attacking trio. Stephan @Krinke Krinke and Felix @ProfaneKiss Kiss are both strong offensive players who have competed on a high level for a long time. While Kiss is more of a playmaking winger (4+13=17) his counterpart Krinke is more of a prolific goal scorer (10+8=18). Both profit from Simon @PlaymakerSJ Junker who has been on fire this season. Normally known for assisting his mates, Junker surprisingly finds the way to tickle twine more often now. 15 goals and 7 assists during LEISUREs playoff run illustrates how well the experienced center performs and is one of the main reasons why the former Phantoms are in their sixth final in a row. Whether he will face Hess or Julmi, we can be expectant of a high level matchup on the center lane. ZSC Esports' advantage could be the rotation with four world class forwards. Many lineups are possible and the transfer of Timasy gives Zürich the possibility to rotate or try new strategies after the first three games on the first evening. If he plays, Hess will be the x-factor against his ex-club. His talent and good form will make the difference in a long series.

Prediction: Advantage ZSC Esports

Conclusion: 4:3 Team LEISURE

Yet, one thing is certain: we will see one of the closest and most anticipated finals of GCL history. With their promotion to ECL Elite, ZSC Esports is on a hot streak right now and will be keen on being crowned as GCL Champions. On the other side the long time torchbearer of the German community will try everything to get their sixth title in a row. The smallest mistakes will make the difference. Every wrong decision will be punished and decide between defeat or victory. The advantage of Team LEISURE could be the unchanged starting six in the regular season as well as during the playoffs. The good chemistry and experience can be what it takes to win in the finals of GCL 7. With two sweeps in their backpack ZSC Esports will go into this series with a lot of confidence. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will be a lot wiser - meanwhile, let's get hyped and look forward to some high quality virtual hockey!

NHLGamers,

The Regular Season of GCL7 brought us many highlights. The top players of the league fascinated us with their dekes and goals but even some newcomers mixed the league up - in a positive sense. We have seen goalies saving their teams, defensemen scoring like forwards and rookies playing like they did nothing else in their past. We've boiled down to the last teams that are fighting for the German Championship and we want to take a moment to look back at our team of the season at this point. Many players of the community would have deserved to get a spot in that team - but the following six have done so this season:

Goalie: @Fightlocke3 (noRex Gaming) by @Franky__2768

It seems like noRex Gaming has found the new bright goalie star. Christian @Fightlocke3 Schubert is quite new to competitive gaming but seems to be one of the hottest newcomers in the German community. Having started as a backup in GCL 6, Schubert became a starter during the past ECL 11 Pro Season.  He now has the full trust of his team and thereby played every game in the regular season and the playoffs (except for three matches due to illness). During the regular season he was rock solid for his defensive-minded noRex squad. Especially on breakaways @Fightlocke3 was able to save his team several times and leads the league with five shutouts and a solid save percentage of 82.68%. During the playoffs, Schubert was able to underline his solid performances and was one of the main reasons to forcing game 6 against the favorites Team LEISURE. The defense consisting of @GERxVillain, @Paddyy1903 and him will ride the momentum into the starting Pro Qualifier, making it a true challenge for any team to score against noRex Gaming.

other Nominees: @afc_Tschitsch, @NHLDennis86, @DiMatteo70, @Asap_Kev231

Right Defenceman: @xXPsykoSkillsXx (Team LEISURE)

There cannot be a "Team of the Season" without him. Niklas Schmitz, right defenseman and allrounder is your RD of GCL7! The Player from Krefeld was not able to defend his GCL6 scoring title nevertheless he still managed to play another excellent season with 49 points in 26 matches. As @xXPsykoSkillsXx once again did what was best for his team by helping out in the offense in the beginning of the season, he spent the rest of the GCL at his primary position on the right defensive side. Together with @Franky__2768, he leads the game of Team LEISURE and has become a floor general for the former "Deadly Phantoms". Therefore he plays a huge role in the extremely effective powerplay of Team LEISURE (35.94%). In the umbrella formation he likes to quarterback the play and distributes the puck from above the faceoff circles. Wether by playing passes to his wingers @Krinke and @ProfaneKiss for the perfect one-timer or doing it by himself and scoring with his deadly slapshots, he is a force on the blueline. The Team LEISURE number 63 is known for excellent decision making in both ends of the ice and therefore is one of the best players in the German community.

other Nominees: @Haldeem, @Paddyy1903, @KG12PK88, @CashAllGreen

Left Defenceman: @Toneee9 (ZSC Esports)

The most offensive minded defender of the league is your LD of the season! Max Tonitz, Right-handed shooter and the prolific scorer for ZSC Esports, led his teams defense corps with 42 Points in 26 matches. The young Austrian stands for the joy of playing and contributed 27 assists but also managed to score 15 goals along the way. Number 9 for the Lions knows exactly how to score and took the most shots out of any defenders in the league (54 Shots). On top of that, he delivered his personal record of points in the GCL regular season. His teammates benefit from his great hockey IQ and they return it by putting him in situations needed to perform on a high level. His strong run in the past ECL 11 Pro season also continued into the GCL and makes him nearly irreplaceable for his squad. @Toneee9 is the perfect fit for his defensive partner @Haldeem and together they are a solid mix offense and defense on the back end.

other Nominees: @Franky__2768, @GERxVillain, @Much1979, sgtsoccer

Right Winger: @Keuschemisch (noRex Gaming) by @Franky__2768

The assistant captain of noRex Gaming has taken a leading role on and off the ice. @Keuschemisch is responsible for a majority of his teams offensive plays and impresses with brilliant 1v1 skills. Together with @Paddyy1903 he represents one of the best winger-defender duos in the German community who are well known for switching positions and rotating offensively and defensively. His biggest strength is his playmaking ability but was also a big reason for winning games during the regular season by scoring in decisive moments. Nine out of his 18 goals (including Playoffs) are GWGs which grants him a place in the Top 10 scorers of the league. Well known for his highlight reel plays such as a between-the-legs pass to decide a Playoff series or multiple dekes and cuts to outplay his opposing defensemen. After his first season on the Pro-level in the ECL, it seems like his Decision making on the ice has improved a lot. Being able to help his teammates and deciding close games has made him one of the best forwards in the German community!

other Nominees: @ProfaneKiss, @Freeman7187, @Red09Dragon08, @Fuchs2534

Left Winger: @IDangledYouOut (ZSC Esports)

Alex Wagner has been voted as the best left winger by a vast majority! The 23-year-old winger from ZSC Esports not only had his best scoring season in the GCL with 66 points in 22 matches but also repeated his strong performances from the past ECL 11 Pro season (34G + 34A in 30GP). ZSC's number 28 makes his teammates better and has the ability to read the play and score goals from anywhere on the ice. These qualities led to 36 assists as well as 30 goals which were a huge factor for winning the regular season. His shot percentage of 44% illustrates his talent and shows why he is second best scorer of the whole league. Wagners forecheck and his aggressive style of playing is feared by his opponents and placed him first in hits throughout the league. 212 hits in 22 games also ranked him as undisputed number one in GCL7 and shows that @IDangledYouOut is all about helping the team. Wagner scores, passes and does the "dirty work" which makes him our LW of the season!

other Nominees: @Krinke, @Flo_goes_grazy, @Stigi, @DaMan

Center: @Original-SnuS (ZSC Esports)

Captain of the freshly promoted Elite team. Top scorer of the regular season. Sven Julmi has been voted as the best center of GCL7! The founder of ZSC Esports and former The Black Jacks ranks first on the scoring list and continues his brilliant run from previous tournaments. Is it the iconic golden skates that make him one of the best players in the league? The chemistry between @Original-SnuS and his teammates is as good as ever before. The team spirit as well as the individual talent helped ZSC to reach a dominant position on the ice and the standings. With 55 assists he also became the top provider of assists which stresses not only his good vision for the game but also the harmony within the team. A solid face-off percentage and a more dominant and physical game compared to last seasons (86 Hits) play have made the player with number 21 for ZSC the key player of the Swiss Lions. Because of those scoring abilites, SnuS becomes one of the best players on the server and is your center of the season!

other Nominees: @PlaymakerSJ, @Pathen-21-, @CuteTerminator7, @domii_ecn

Thanks to your help we were also able to vote on the "Rookie of the Season"! We want to establish this award for the upcoming seasons of the German Championship League. Requirements to become "Rookie of the Season": The player must play his first full season in Division 1. Age or previous tournaments outside of NHLGamer are irrelevant. Non-German License players can not participate and taken out of the voting.

Rookie: @Sebwies2139 (The Black Jacks)

Sebastian Wieser, Goalie of The Black Jacks is our "Rookie of the Season". Number 39 of the Playoff participants from Switzerland became a huge factor during the season and was one of the main reasons to finish the regular season as the 4th seed. Wieser started his career with Black Wings HC and gained some experience in Divison 2 of GCL6 as well as ECL 11 Neo. By stringing together a series of impressive performances it became quite obvious that the left handed netminder will have a bright future ahead. During the Qualifier he made his first appearances for The Black Jacks and showed his talent right away. During the regular season he established himself as starting goalie and showed many good performances in his very first Division 1 season. It will be exciting to see how he manages to translate his game to the international level in the ECL. His save percentage of 81%, GAA of 2.20, three shutouts and ten wins made him the 8th best goalie in the league. The Austrian still has a lot of room to improve, especially in terms of trigger discipline and staying cool in stressful situations he has the ability to become one of GCL's best goaltenders. With his impressive rookie performances it is safe to say that we will see a lot of @Sebwies2139 in the future!

other Nominees: @CuteTerminator7, @Fuchs2534, @Altenpfleger_89, sgt_soccer