GCL 7 Playoffs: Finals Preview

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!