NACL Semifinals Preview

We are down to the final four teams in the North American Championship League, and the competition only gets tougher from here. Some of the best teams in the region are competing for first place, and the chance to represent their region on the world stage against Europe’s best. All of these teams have the potential to win the whole thing, and the battle starts right away. The matchups will be as close as you can imagine from here on out, and so much is on the line each game. We’ll go through each matchup and talk about each team and how they stack up against their opponent.
 

 One Unit (4) vs Entourage (2)

Entourage are looking to make it back to the finals for the 3rd time in a row. I thought they didn’t look as dominate in the previous event, but they are back into their high octane offensive play. @gilly is one of the region’s top snipers, and will be looking to lead this team to another dominate performance. There is only so much you can say about this team without repetition, but they have simply been in this position enough times to know what they need to do to win. They simply need to play confidently like they are the better team. 

Originally thought as nothing more than a dark horse, One Unit has exploded into a true event contender with an underdog win against IslesGT. With IslesGT being considered a favourite to win the whole event, One Unit went into the series and beat them in a tight affair en route to a series victory. While they have not been in the scene for as long as others in the top 4, One Unit have risen to the top of North American 6’s at a rapid pace, and it will now be difficult to call them anything but contenders. While it will still be an uphill battle against juggernauts no matter what, they have earned a huge reputation boost making it this far in this fashion.

While it will be competitive, Entourage is playoff hardened and will be a huge challenge for One Unit to overcome. The question will be whether the cinderella story can continue. They massively impressed in their last series, but can One Unit keep up this pace against only championship level teams until the very end?
 

Prediction:  Entourage in 6
 

Caps Gaming (8) vs Scary Hours (1) 

Scary Hours are no surprise as the top seed of the event, and no surprise to find them in the final four of the  q qplayoffs. They bolster household names at all positions and are poised for deep runs the moment they step onto the virtual ice. @Gwan returning to competitive play somehow makes this team even more rich in pedigree. While this team isn’t known for their explosive offensive ability, their rock solid defensive play and overall chemistry and structure make them one of the hardest teams to beat in North America. Their win against Instinct was a hard fought game 7 victory, but this could be used as a confidence booster in the crunch time, especially as we get close to the title match.

Caps Gaming has been at the summit of North America for the past year, but after stumbling out of the gate this year they are right back to competing for the title. This team has been long running, and long successful, so taking them down in any situation is a tough ask.  Despite them being seeded 8th for the playoffs, this team was a favourite to win the whole thing before the event started, and are poised to accomplish that goal starting with a win here. Arguably the most successful team of 2022, they look to add another accomplishment to their already deep resume.

This series will be tight and come down to the final game I believe. This could become the battle of the goaltenders with how good both of these teams are. It could come down to a single misplay or crazy goal to decide it all. It’s hard to pick between the two, but Scary Hours will take it deep into the series, multiple OT games.

Prediction: Scary Hours in 7

The battle starts tonight, and the 4 remaining teams will all be battling to the end for their chance at the trophy! Watch the coverage live at twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG.