l-Furyan-l

Hello NHLGamers, We're in the middle of it now. That great time of the year when the true essence of hockey shines through. The lengthy overtime battles, the primal shouts of frustration and joy, the overpowering urge to defeat your opponent no matter what... but also, the humble "digital handshakes" after a completed series. The cordial well-wishes and genuine appreciation for a great series. The sincere respect for your opponent. All these factors is what has come to define playoff hockey in any competitive league in the world and it is no surprise to us here at NHLGamer.com that the same values hold true as we move that same playoff competition over to a digital hockey landscape. The first week of the ECL 4 Playoffs is over and what a week it was! We had some tremendous upsets (who could've guessed that all the "lower seeds" would advance in the Elite playoffs?) and some dominating performances from predicted favorites (Carlsberg HC of Pro and J P T J of Lite come to mind). Currently the Elite playoffs are at the Semifinals stage, the Pro playoffs will start their quarterfinals and the Lite playoffs kick off their Round-of 16. This means a total of 14 playoff series will begin today, with an additional 2 series (the Pro/Elite Promotion/Relegation series) waiting in the wings. Also a big round of applause and appreciation to the teams who fought hard but didn't reach their final goal these playoffs - we hope to see you all come back strong next season! But now, let us get to the teams still remaining and see if we can predict what will transpire! As always, be sure to share a comment on the news story or in the forums with your own predictions. (Predicted series winners will be marked in Bold text) ELITE Nordic Nightmare vs. Laser HT - After both teams put together impressive series wins over Unknown and Synergy respectively, these two veteran squads will face off in a what should be a memorable battle. Laser has truly found their offensive groove this season and has continued their goal-scoring prowess into the postseason. Look for them to attack Nordic Nightmares well-oiled team machine with all they've got. I predict a 4-2 series win for LHT. Dynasty vs. Limitless - It might be foolish to continue betting against last seasons winners, but I just have this feeling that the time has come for Dynasty to truly go on a run and bring home the ECL Elite trophy (on a side note, does anyone have suggestions for an official trophy name? We need something iconic! The Ramjagsingh Trophy perhaps?). Also, look for Limitless to continue surpassing the somewhat lower expectations created by their regular season. This one will most likely go 7. I say Dynasty 4-3 series win with the final game going to OT. PRO Carlsberg HC vs. White Trash - WT delivered a serious upset when they upended regular season juggernaut Nordic Stars in the first round. Their gameplan to shut down high-scoring Tapparafan- in that series will certainly come to play in this series as well with joukki13 and Patzlaf coming to town. Despite WTs early playoff heroics, I predict Carlsbergs scoring depth will be too much for them here. 4-2 Carlsberg series win. Kattiautomaatti vs. Shameful Knights - Shameful are coming off a tougher first series while Katti were able to breeze by their first round opponent. This shouldn't have an impact on this series though, as there will be no rest needed or underestimation going on - from either team. This will be a close series and Katti will be forced to face their biggest test of the season. I predict they will rise to the challenge and win this one 4-2. Sjukstugan vs. Unlucky Boys HC - [No prediction due to me playing in the series, feel free to post your predictions in the comment section! That goes for all the series in this prediction by the way - always fun to read what the community thinks.] Rusty Blades vs. Silver Sword Griffins - These two teams were built for the playoffs and this should certainly be a "series to watch" - perhaps the most even one ECL Pro has to offer. Both defensively strong teams, both lethal on the counterattack and in front of the oppositions net. Expect this one to go 7 and for most of those games to go to OT. My gut says SSG though, 4-3. Finally, congratulations are in order to Pro teams Bare Knuckles Hockey, murohoki, Nemesis and Showtime who all staved off relegation by winning their respective series. These teams, together with the teams that finished in "no mans land" and all Pro playoff teams who don't qualify for Elite, will have guaranteed spots in the Pro division next season. LITE Hawks Hockey Club vs. Ice Phoenix - The Lite overall top seed HHC enters the playoffs after sitting out Round 1. They should be hungry and eager to play against an Ice Phoenix team that impressed in the first round. Don't expect a sweep, but HHC should still win this one 4-1. DEAD END KINGS vs. EV Duisburg - Swedish "Synergy Lite" DEK will also be eager to prove their mettle and show that they belong higher up in the divisional system. Their quest to do just that begins here against German surprise team Duisburg. I predict Nephenzy and his boys to come out firing and end up with a 4-0 series win. EN HUND vs. INF4MOUS - Two strong teams with high ambitions clash in this matchup. Should be a tight battle with the physical play of ENH clashing with the defensive structure of iNF. I do predict a 4-2 series win for EN HUND here but as I said, good matchup. J P T J vs. HC Palosaari - Offensive beasts J P T J take on a Palosaari team that fought hard in their series with the Coal Miners. Anything other than a 4-0 sweep from star team J P T J here would be a surprise to me. Old Farts vs. HC Ancient Warriors - The veterans of Old Farts take on the Warriors in a matchup that I wish could be saved for further down the line in the Lite playoffs, due to the skill of both teams. However, it is what it is and I do have to predict a winner so I will go with Old Farts, 4-2 Dynamo Danglers vs. Bone Breakers - Two teams I saw as contenders to win the Lite trophy that didn't fully deliver the types of seasons I am sure they would have wanted. I predicted Bone Breakers to do well in my season preview and I am sticking with it. 4-3 BB. GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs. Banterfield Battalion - Community sweethearts and video makers GHETTOBIRDS (new official nickname) take on the Banter squad in another tight matchup. GHETTOBIRDS had their difficulties getting going in the first round but should be warmed up enough to give the Banter squad a tough time. 4-3 BB here as well. Clowns On Ice vs. Lavetten - This is THE series to watch in Lite Round 2. Lots of skill, lots of energy, lots of passion. If you have the time, check it out because this one could go 7. I predict a 4-3 series win for Lavetten in Game 7 OT. In addition we've extended this round by two days since it overlaps with Easter - the second round of ECL 4 Playoffs is to be played 10.04 to 18.04. Good luck in the playoffs to all remaining teams! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, It is that time of the year again, isn't it? You wake up one morning and the cold weather outside doesn't seem to bother you as much, the morning traffic you encounter when driving to work is suddenly not a nuisance but instead a reason to silently reflect on what is to come and that little knot of anticipation you know so well is back in your stomach. It is time for some ECL playoff hockey! For ECL 4 we had more teams participating than ever seen before in the European competitive hockey gaming scene, something that we here at NHLGamer.com are immensly proud of. Thank you to all 80 teams that signed up and a special thank you to the 78 teams who finished the season (a 97.5% completion rate) - continue spreading the word so we can try and grow this tournament even further together! Can we create a league with 100+ teams? Is the Xbox One side of the community ready for its first tournament? Only time will tell but us Staff members certainly hope so. I'd also like to take this opportunity to once again highlight the legacy of our previous ECL winners in order to inspire all participating teams to follow in their footsteps. Here they are; ECL 1 - Nordic Blizzard ECL 2 - MUKIMIEHET ECL SC - Team pelimies80 ECL 3 - X Factor Moving on to the business at hand, the ECL 4 playoffs and our traditional predictions. A total of 30 series kicks off today (26 playoff series and 4 relegation series) so I will keep the predicting to a solid one line of text for each series in order to preserve my sanity. I apologize in advance if I am not completely familiar with all participating teams. Also, expect slightly longer predictions the longer these playoffs proceed! (Predicted series winners will be marked in Bold text) ELITE MUKIMIEHET vs. Limitless - A tough series between two former ECL winners but I predict a 4-3 MUKI win here. MUKI has played a flawless season while Limitless has struggled to find the magic of their previous team version, X Factor. Synergy vs. Laser HT - Another tough one featuring two teams with a lot of history and rivalry. Going with 4-3 Synergy here as I believe they have moved past ghosts of playoffs past. Unknown vs. Nordic Nightmare - Never bet against Unknown in the playoffs. NN is a terrific squad but Unknown has some history on the line that they'd be eager to defend. 4-2 WHO. Written In The Stars vs. Dynasty - Probably the most lethal offensive squad versus the most structured defensive squad. I'll give the edge to Dynasty here as they are due for a deep playoff run, 4-3 DYN. PRO Carlsberg HC vs. Huppati HC - The #1 overall seed and predicted top team takes on an inexperienced #8. Going with 4-0 Car here. Sjukstugan vs. HC Checkmate - [No prediction due to me playing in the series, feel free to post your predictions in the comment section! That goes for all the series in this prediction by the way - always fun to read what the community thinks.] Rusty Blades vs. Royal Club - Two strong defensive squads but Rusty has grown from a playoff bubble team last season to a top ECL team. It will be a series of OT games but I think the Blades will come out on top, 4-2. Unlucky Boys HC vs. Germany's Finest - Unlucky Boys is another team who has grown stronger as the tournament progressed while GER has had some tough games towards the end. I predict an even series with a 4-2 win for UHC. Alliance HT vs. Shameful Knights - The Russian two-way machine has impressed me during the season, as have the Shameful Knights. I will go with a 4-3 win here for AHT. Silver Sword Griffins vs. Nocturnal Hunters - SSG is due for a deep playoff run. They will encounter tough opposition from NH but will most likely advance if they get their machine rolling. 4-1 SSG. Nordic Stars vs. White Trash - NS will take full advantage of the #1 overall scorer in Pro and get through a tough series with WT by a score of 4-2. Kattiautomaatti vs. ORIGINS - Another regular season giant in CAT entering the playoffs versus a bubble team. Granted, ORIGINS has ECL experience but I do not think it will be enough here. 4-1 CAT. (PRO Relegation Faceoff) Bare Knuckles Hockey vs. Company of Geeks - CoG has had a tough season but will deliver when it matters the most. 4-3 CoG. murohoki vs. Thunder Tigers - If murohoki gets their two-way game going they could run through this series. TT are no slouches however so I think this one will go to 6 games, 4-2 mur. Nemesis vs. The Beagle Boys - The Swedish dogs also went through a challenging season but could surprise here and defeat offensively skilled team Nemesis to stay in Pro. 4-3 TBB. Showtime vs. The Lights Out - Showtime had their ups and downs, struggling versus teams around them in the standings while performing great against some of the top dogs. Expect them to come in motivated to this series. 4-1 SHO. LITE (Hawks Hockey Club and DEAD END KINGS - both automatically advance to the second round) EN HUND vs. Blues HC - Time for the The Finnish dogs to create their own legacy apart from SIKA. They start in this series, 4-0 EN HUND. J P T J vs. A Dream Valhalla - Offensive powerhouse with multiple top scorers enter the playoffs with a series win, 4-0 J P T J. Old Farts vs. Pohjoista Voimaa - Experienced old bastard versus a newer team, experience wins out in the playoffs: 4-0 OLD. Dynamo Danglers vs. Vemppaosasto - Tougher to predict but the Danglers, led by lycki10, has had an impressive season. 4-2 DyD. GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs. The Youngsters - Not as well educated when it comes to these teams but the FIREBIRDS playoff hype video has me convinced, 4-2 BIRDS Clowns On Ice vs. Prometheus - Have not played against either team but Prometheus strikes me as the stronger squad here, 4-3 XKP. Lavetten vs. Die TwitchProleten - Swedish Versus/HUT giants in Lavetten grew stronger as the season progressed, just as predicted. If they can keep their momentum going, this is a 4-1 Lav win. Banterfield Battalion vs. PSHL Roadrunners - The most banter-filled squad in ECL start a solid playoff run here with a 4-2 series win. Teletapit vs. Ice Phoenix - Have only seen Ice Phoenix play (which they did well), therefore going with a 4-2 series win here. HC Ancient Warriors vs. Papat - I predicted a strong season for the Warriors and I am sticking by it. 4-2 Warriors. Bone Breakers vs. HC Scorpions - The Bone Breakers had a season worthy of Pro, I predict they start their journey there in this series with a 4-1 series win. HC Palosaari vs. Falun Coal Miners - Two teams with the same logo (the one with the factory and 3 pucks) who are both looking to improve on their regular season. The FCM boys has playoff experience though, which should weigh heavy here. 4-3 FCM. Last Kings vs. EV Duisburg - Not familiar enough with either team to accurately predict this one but my crystal ball says 4-2 Kings. Elämäm Kiekko vs. INF4MOUS - First taste of the playoffs for both teams so this should be a tight series. I predict INF coming out on top in Game 7, 4-3 INF. Good luck in the playoffs to all teams! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, Welcome to another edition of "Who's Hot and Who's Not". A format first introduced last summer during the ECL Summer Cup, the "Hot or Not"-column was a source of much emotion and debate during its first tour of duty... so naturally we decided to bring it back! This time around the lists will be a bit shorter (we have atleast five times more teams and three different divisions to cover) but hopefully just as accurate and prone to create debates. As always, we have the great @OxtreeLAT providing some terrific art for both the cover and the different sections within the article - but when it comes to the text, I will handle all the list-making myself this time. Let's get to it! WHO’S HOT - ELITE Forward: Dominointi, LHT - Laser HTs captain is usually a team-first, positionally solid two-way center who always makes sure to cover the correct passing lanes - a Selke Trophy candidate, if you will. However this season, facing the toughest competition in ECL tournament history, he's been doing all that while having a career season offensively with 66 points in 22 games. Defender: liSvampl, WHO - Unknown has certainly backed up their pre-season talk that they should be in Elite with a terrific season in the ECL top division thus far. A big part of their success has been the #1 defensive pairing of iSvamp & Terasniska. Playing in most of WHOs games thus far, both skaters are currently in the Top-10 for defensive scoring but iSvamp gets the nod due to having more goals, assists and points with his 23 points in 21 games. Goalie: Ranta83, WHO - Another component to Unknowns success has been their constant goaltender Ranta83 who, besides from having the most goaltending Wins in Elite by a mile, sports some very respectable numbers with 80.42%, 2.20 GAA and 2 shutouts to his name. WHO'S NOT - ELITE Forward: Mullweiser, NOS - A big part of Northern Stars #1 line, Mullweiser is by no means having a bad season... it just probably hasn't been all he hoped for thus far, something that goes for the entire NOS team. Relying on team defense to win games isn't a bad strategy (especially not in the playoffs) but it puts an awful lot of pressure on the teams attackers to perform using limited opportunities. With 9 goals, 24 points and a -11 in 24 games, Mullweiser gets the nod here this time. Defender: Maqruusi, RTL - Refuse To Lose gets a spot on the Not-list for the second straight edition as their season really hasn't improved that much since last time. This time they are represented by defender Maqruusi who sports a challenging -29 while managing just 1 goal and 8 points in 16 games. Goalie: octobussy, ESA - TIKI TALK is having a decent surge in the second part of their season, but octobussy still gets a nod here due to some tough personal stats. Outside of personal stats, 'Wins' is the most important metric there is for ECL goaltenders and while octobussy doesn't have the least wins per game, 5 wins in 14 games isn't quite good enough. WHO’S HOT - PRO Forward: Tapparafan-, NS - The ECL 2 point scoring champion is back in the same team enviroment that made him a star and his production has followed suit. Nordic Stars' offensive catalyst has lit the lamp an astounding 44 times in 26 games thus far and looks poised to add some more scoring trophies to his name. Defender: Janzuh, Car - Carlsberg HC has dominated Pro Group 1 the last couple of weeks, something that has led to Car top defender Janzuh running away with the defender scoring title. This sturdy blueliner isn't just a product of his team though, he is as much part of Carlsbergs success as any of their forwards or goaltenders and if you'd poll the Car players themselves - Janzuh would be a safe bet for MVP of the team. Goalie: hoiggaa, CAT - Being a runner-up on this list last time seemed to motivate Kattiautomattis #1 goalie who has continued his torrid pace ever since. Currently the leader for goaltending Wins, hoiggaa probably has his eyes set on quite a few of the Pro goaltending trophies - he just needs to stick the landing with CAT's final 6 games. WHO'S NOT - PRO Forward: XelsFIN, NEM - A league-worst -42 is enough to get XelsFIN on this list this time. His 25 points in 21 games is respectable but the plus/minus, combined with the 23 PIMs, is the anchor for one of Nemesis' most important players this season. Defender: ac_tiska, T T - Just like in the Forward-section, it's a combination of factors that gets ac_tiska on the Not-list for defenders this time. His -25, 0 goals and 16 PIMs in 15 games leaves room for improvement. Goalie: Popensans, KNS - No wins in 10 games played is a tough pill to swallow for anyone and you got to believe nobody wants that first win more than Popensans himself or his teammates. Once Pop gets that out of the way, he'll be able to move out of this spot. WHO’S HOT - LITE Forward: KattenJansson97, Lav - In the interest of having some diversity on this list, JPT will not be featured this time, even though their personal achievements remain impressive. Instead we have the 3rd ranked Lite scorer from surprise team Lavetten, KattenJansson97, getting a shoutout. The whole team has been rising steadily in the standings since the start and a big factor has been their #1 center and his 76 points. Defender: Rankaisija_, OLD - Going from Elite to Lite should mean a dominating performance and Ranksu has not dissapointed. With 50 points in 25 games, this hard-hitting defender has been just as good as expected - just like the rest of the Old Farts team. Goalie: Nebelparder55555, HHC - Being 2nd in Wins and with 82% and a GAA under 2, Nebelparder has led Hawks Hockey Club to one of the top seeds in Lite just ahead of the playoffs. That's really all you can ask for when it comes to your goaltender. WHO'S NOT - LITE Forward: rjounila, POH - A -56 and 11 points in 20 games played mostly as a forward will get you on the Not-list, sadly. Up to jounila and his teammates to bounce back in the final stretch. Defender: moitzi, 666 - Another player with a low plus/minus rating and low point totals, moitzi gets the nod here. A Dream Valhalla has a lot of work to do before the playoffs and moitzi needs to be a part of the teams' turnaround. Goalie: Vanish71, IPH - 2 wins in 14 games will get you on this list. Vanish71 needs to make sure the pucks start vanishing into his catching glove a bit more in the future. See you in the playoffs - later skaters/ The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, Welcome to another edition of "Who's Hot and Who's Not". A format first introduced this summer during the ECL Summer Cup, the "Hot or Not"-column was a source of much emotion and debate during its first tour of duty... so naturally we decided to bring it back! This time around the lists will be a bit shorter (we have atleast five times more teams and three different divisions to cover) but hopefully just as accurate and prone to create debates. I have enlisted @nylanderi to help out with the list for Elite while I myself will handle Pro & Lite. As always, we have the great @OxtreeLAT providing some terrific art for both the cover and the different sections within the article. The column will be a weekly occurence just like before so look for it on Sundays during the season. Before we begin I'd just like to direct a few short words to those of you who are struggling with our new match reporting system, the EA API. We are tracking your error reports (keep producing as detailed reports as possible) and those on the staff with technical skills are also working towards improving the systems functionality. What you can do meanwhile is this; - Have patience. Sometimes a game will not appear in the API system for a few hours (we've had reports of delays up to 5-6 hours) so games might have to be reported the day after. If the game hasn't showed up for you the next day efter playing, please contact us to see how we can be of assistance. - Do not report games in the old tool unless absolutely neccessary. If your games were completed without disconnects, wait for the game to show up in the API instead of reverting back to the old tool. We understand everyone wants the games reported as soon as possible (hell, we do too!) but for now we ask for your patience. - Be careful. Before completing your game report - check your input one extra time. The system isn't working at 100% yet, but just by being extra careful when reporting you are helping us all out alot. Thank you. - Home team reports their game so 1 report each. Now, let us get to the lists! by nylanderi WHO’S HOT - ELITE Forward: Vilupoika, SKY What a start it has been for Written in The Stars. They have won 11/12 of their games, and Vilupoika has 15+15=30 in those 12 games. Written has been a really good defensive team as well, so we know that Vilu has been really important in the defensive aspect of the game also. Runner-ups: Kingofapes_, SKY - Just barely edged out by Vilupoika, both these forward and their teammates have been big contributors in SKYs torrid start. Ape actually has 31 points but one goal less than Vilu. I_Eki_I, MUK - The total points leader with 32 points, however two more games played than Ape and Vilu. Defender: Totalii, SKY - Written has conceded the least goals in the league, so Writtens defense lead by their captain has been rock solid! Totalii has also contributed with 8 points in the 1st week, and leads dmen’s scoring race. Runner-up: vSilenttio, SIK - Goal scoring leader for all defenders in Elite (5), hats off to SIKAs captain and catalyst. Goalie: Danielcadabra and s_w1ld_RUS, SKY - These goaltenders are both in the Top-5 for Wins while maintaining Save Percentages over 80% and combining for 5 shutouts. Nuff said. Runner-up: Ranta83, WHO - The goalie leader for Wins in Elite. WHO'S NOT - ELITE Forward: ReDMisTi, RTL - Refuse To Lose' start to the season has been real tough. They have had lots of problems in the offense and Misti has only scored 2+8=10 in 10 games, with a massive -22. Defender: puke85, GRR - Aapon Taikasauva was ranked as one of the best defensive teams in the league by me, so it was a suprise for me to see puke85 with -4 after 8 games. Aapons defense has to step it up if they wanna succeed. Goalie: juha96, RV - RV has had a real rocky start. You should never blame your goalie but we all know that Juha could do a little better after his great performances in previous tournaments... (Editors Note: was written before juha96s departure from RV) by The_Alpha_Furyan WHO’S HOT - PRO Forward: Stefan_397, ICE - This accurate sniper from Inter Iceland has certainly lived up to his title of a "Player to watch", having celebrated 30 goals in just 16 games so far. Even more impressive then that he not only leads the goal category but also the points category by a margin of 7 points with 46 points in 16 games. Runner-ups: jm__98___, UB - Second in goals (26) and points (39) - a no-brainer pick. IbjonoI, 112 - Third in points (39) and with the most GWGs in Pro (4). Defender: entii112, SSG - 15 points in 6 games seems like an impossible feat at this level but this defender has done it so far! Warms my OFD-heart to see defenders scoring points. Well done enti! Runner-up: Tanski87, RB - Tied to be goal scoring leader for all defenders in Pro (5), this monstrous defender also leads the Pro division for hits by a defenseman with 81. Look out for this double threat on the blueline, pro teams. Goalie: LastMandalorian, 112 - The goaltending leader for Wins with 14 Ws (13 regulation, 1 OT) in 18 games played also has 4 shutouts (nobody else has more than 1) and a GAA at 1.77 with a save % close to 80. A solid foundation for 112 to build on. Runner-up: hoigga, CAT - This goalie has not yet lost a game (14 wins in 14 games - 10 regulation, 4 OT) while maintaining a save % over 80% and a GAA under 2. If he can keep this up, CAT looks set for a long playoff run in Pro. WHO'S NOT - PRO Forward: friskaviljor, SHO - With just 5+5=10 in 9 games as a forward, friskaviljors production is certainly OK. That -18 is a bit tougher to ignore though. Defender: Duran93-, KNS - Bare Knuckles needs a little bit more than 1+4=5 and a -11 in 10 games from one of its top defenders. Goalie: Siickan, TBB - Sporting an 0-6-0 record and some tough statistical numbers, The Beagle Boyz is in need of Siickan to channel his inner Hasek for the rest of the season to bounce back. by The_Alpha_Furyan WHO’S HOT - LITE Forward: moilanenC, JPT - 31+21 for 52 points in 12 games are some completely insane numbers. The whole line for JPT has been unreal (currently sitting at 1-2-3 in the scoring race) but moilanen gets the nod for #1 due to his goal scoring prowess. Runner-ups: makeee76, JPT - Point scoring leader with 25+28=53 in 12 games. mikihoo, JPT - With 16+24=40 in 12 games, one would have to imagine mikihoo is the defensive catalyst on the JPT line. Defender: jonezki26, JPT - The JPT dominance continues here with jonezki delivering 3+21 for 24 points in 12 games. A points per game average at 2 for a defender, combined with a +42, commands respect. Runner-up: Zuominen, PAP - On that notion the top defender for Papat, Zuominen, is no slouch himself with 18 points in 8 games, including 4 goals and 60 hits. Goalie: jjuhao, JPT - Finishing the sweep for JPT is goaltender jjuhao with his 11-1-0 record, 2 shutouts and solid personal statistics. Runner-up: Nebelparder55555, HHC - This goalie would probably have had a great shot at being #1 for this edition of the column (his numbers with save % almost at 90, GAA at 1 and 3 shutouts certainly raises eyebrows) but sadly misses out due to just competing in 8 games so far. Look out for Nebel on next weeks edition though! WHO'S NOT - LITE Forward: Reaper-80, 666 - Once again, the +/- is a leading statistic when putting together this column and A Dream Valhalla is another team that is struggling. Reaper-80 is putting up some numbers, 6+4=10 in 13 games as a winger, but needs to up his +/- and pot a few more points for 666 to stay afloat. Defender: xsakux99, BHC - Blues HC have had a real tough season so far, hopefully saku and friends can turn it around but for now he finds himself on this list with 4 points and a -36 in 11 games. Goalie: Hujunake, VEM - While I have no doubt this goaltender with the great name, Pablo Escobar, is trying to smuggle out as many wins as he can, a few more than 3 in 13 is needed. See you next week - later skaters/ The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi for NHLGamer.com

Good evening NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. After looking at both the Lite and Pro divisions, we've now reached the final 16 teams of ECL 4, the Elite Division. Just like during the Pro preview I have @nylanderi, our newest content creator here at NHLGamer.com, and his excellent eye for team- and player scouting by my side for this one. Let us get to it, shall we? Main text, scouting and predictions by nylanderi Text editing and additional reporting by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT Prediction for the Regular Season Top - 5 1. Unknown WHO is a team that rely on solid team defense and counter attacking to win games. Unknowns defense, lead by isvamp, has been really good every time I have played against them in regular EASHL lately. Foppatofflan and MartindalexC on the wings have the skill to create a bunch of great scoring chances in every game. If they can play at their highest level during the entire regular season, they will definitely finish high - possibly even first in the regular season. Their goalie situation is probably their biggest weakness since they are currently still searching for a starting goalie as far as I know. I am aware that Ranta83 is really good between the pipes, but if he's not able to play that much they will need to find a reliable goalie. 2. Limitless Last seasons champions X Factor, with a new name and some new roster aquisitions from Finnish Roosters. The offense - on paper at least - is truly something to behold with all three starting forwards finishing in top 10 for scoring during ECL 3. One of the biggest transfers this offseason was Limitless' acquisition of Haldeem from Dynasty. The plan is for Haldeem to form a defender partnership with myself (nylanderi). If the defense clicks and FinKonna puts up the good performances he is capable of it should be really hard to score against Limitless in ECL 4. If this team is able to string together solid performances they will most likely be one of the powerhouses this season. 3. Aapon Taikasauva Last seasons offensive powerhouse team has changed a lot. They lost Joukki13 and Puantso, but acquired some new forwards. Bugimir, Nampa77 and Chafak are all really good additions to the team, and I believe they will go far this season as well. Bugimir and Indi are both great two-way forwards, and I believe that Aapon will be one of the best defensive teams this season because of it. 4. Laser HT After last seasons disappointing finish, Laser has changed quite a lot. They made some big moves during the offseason and you can be sure they will be one of the top teams once again. Their team might not be as good on paper as last seasons squad but if Dominointi gets his team going you can expect great things. 5. Written in The Stars Kinda like Limitless, Writtens lineup has changed a lot. They have acquired KingOfApes_ and Vilupoika from X Facto with both players expected to bring a lot to their offense. Totalii leads their defense but they also got a new LD, Defmaxou, from Alliance HT so it will really interesting how he will do for SKY. If everything works out as planned, these guys can challenge for the ECL Elite championship. Championship favorite I would say Limitless, but I dont really want to have a big target on my back from the rest of the Elite division... so I will pick Aapon Taikasauva. Aapons roster this season fits playoff hockey perfectly. They can shut it down and they have some really tricky players up front. Aapons starting goalie is still a mystery to me so that could potentially be something that messes up their season. However, if they have an active goalie who can hold his own in net you better watch out for this team. Players to watch 1. Norpee, Synergy, LW/C Talk about a player who can do it all, Norpee will continue to do wonders for SYN this season. He scored a whopping 152 points during the ECL 3 regular season but I still feel that he is actually quite underrated. Terrific two-way skills combined with top hockey-IQ, I think he will continue to cause all sorts of problems for Elite opponents. 2. Anrh17, Unknown, C/RW iSvamp let us know in the Unknown thread that Anrh17 is quite busy with his IRL hockey, but whenever he has time to play you can expect big things. Unknowns #1 center often flies under the radar because of their skilled wingers, but this guy has been excellent every time Limitless has matched up against them and should continue to be a difference maker during ECL 4. 3. Gendlik, SIKA, C SIKA truly aquired a great player from Nordic Blizzard this offseason. Gendlik is known for his silky smooth hands and he should be a great fit for SIKA. Watching them last season I felt that they really needed one more pure skill forward. Gendlik can quarterback SIKAs offensive game and take that team to another level. 4. s_w1ld_RUS, Written In The Stars, G In my opinion a Top-3 goalie in the game and he really proved it last season in Alliance and recently whenever I have matched up against him in EASHL. With this goalie, Written has a chance to be one of the better defensive teams in the ECL Elite division. 5. Puantso, Dynasty, LD/C I was quite surprised when I heard about this signing. Puantso has been a wonderful player for Aapon the past few seasons. Now he plays for Dynasty but I am not sure about which position he will occupy. I feel like he could be an offensive juggernaut for Dynasty as a C, but I have heard rumours that he might play LD. That’s not bad either since Haldeem left and I know for a fact that Puantso is really good at defense. If he does play D, he will for sure form one of the better defensive partnerships in the game with Snapu and Dynasty will most likely continue the tradition of being one of the top defensive teams. Teams to watch 1. Nordic Lightning “New” NL is a really interesting team. They are back in ECL 4 without their captain JaromirSniper68 but in EASHL games their defense has been really good and their fast counter attacks have caused all sorts of problems. Tactical_Face is a great goalie as well so I think these guys can really surprise a lot of people this season. 2. Dynasty They really impressed me last season, but I think Dynasty will be even better this season. They're a team who truly plays great in every area of the ice and will be a tough assignment for every opponent to break down. Dynasty, lead by Snapu, is looking for a long playoff run at this point and their recent EASHL performances show that they have a good chance to achieve just that. 3. Northern Stars During an off-season where it felt like everyone and their mother changed teams, NOS made the bold choice to stand pat - only mixing up their lineup internally with some possible position changes. This could prove to be a wise choice as many other Elite teams will be scrambling to find chemistry in their lineups while NOS will have many years of experience to lean on. Lets see how this decision works out. This was our full 3-part preview for ECL 4 and we hope that you enjoyed it. As always, feel free to leave to leave your thoughts in the comment section. Now, let's get back on the virtual ice and play some hockey! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi for NHLGamer.com

Good evening NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. After giving you the preview for the ECL 4 Lite division yesterday, we now move on to the ECL 4 Pro division. To assist me with this preview I have enlisted the help of a community member who needs no introduction (but will still get one). After finishing up the previous ECL tournament as the captain of the championship winning team Limitless, this Finn wanted to contribute more to the community in the form of reporting. Therefore, it is with great joy we here at NHLGamer.com - through this article - introduce our newest content creator and Staff member, @nylanderi. So without further ado, I now turn the mic over to nylanderi for this preview. The predictions and words are his, my contribution is solely some editing and additional thoughts. Let's go! Main text, scouting and predictions by nylanderi Text editing and additional reporting by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT Prediction for the Regular Season Top- 5. 1. Carlsberg Carslberg HC is a team who would quite possibly be my pick for even the ECL Elite Championship - so this choice was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I expect this reunited team to dominate the regular season, possibly even finishing their whole run without any losses. Carlsberg truly are amazing in every zone on the ice, with almost no weaknesses to their game. Especially look for joukki13 and Patzlaf to most likely finish #1 and 2 in scoring for the Pro division. 2. Sjukstugan I will say that Sjukstugan has made some really interesting moves in the offseason - acquiring Filariou, The_Alpha_Furyan and LastMandalorian. From what I have seen when recently playing against 112 in EASHL games they have really taken their game a step in the right direction. Honestly, if they can defend as a team in ECL they could challenge CAR for the ECL 4 Pro title. In my opinion their team offense is their biggest source of strength, but forwards will have to make sure to also defend if they want to find themselves in ECL Elite when NHL 18 shows up and ECL 5 kicks off. 3. Unlucky Boys HC One of the more underrated teams out there, I think UB is really going to impress a lot of people this season. They have great players upfront in Anhel_kuru and Ilmari30 but also share a weakness with many other Pro teams - their defense. In UBs case, especially defending together as a team. If this team wants to succeed they will have to be able to shut other teams down. Their offense can score goals against pretty much anyone, but it will not help them if they let in more than they score. 4. Kattiautomatti This is a team that I am quite familiar with, seeing as how we faced them in the ECL 3 playoffs. Overall I think Katti is a really good defensive team, but they are somewhat lacking in offensive power. If they can find a way to score a few extra goals per game, look for them to go real far this season but if not, it could be a tough season. Good luck guys and again - thanks for the playoff series! 5. Silver Sword Griffins To me, it was kind of a big suprise last season to see how good SSG did. Their defense and goaltending is usually their strength (it has always been their trademark) but how they are going to score their goals is usually the big mystery. SSGs goals often come from low point shots with deflections and that style of play definitely requires luck if they want to go far. A big responsibility will be on the shoulders of #1 center and top scorer, ProMinx24. Will also be interesting to see how OxtreeLAT handles going from goaltender to defender - from what I have seen it should work out really well. Championship favorite It is Carlsberg. For me, as I said in the regular season predicitions, this was never in doubt. Maybe one of the other teams pull off an upset and somehow sneak by Carlsberg... but if they do not win the Pro division (or at the very least make the finals) it would have to be considered a failure. Players to watch 1. Janzuh, Carlsberg, D I have heard many people state that Janzuh is one of the very best LDs in the competitive NHL gaming scene, and I totally agree with that notion. Janzuh is rock solid in his own end and with his amazing hockey IQ I am sure he is going to have a huge role in Carlsbergs offense as well. 2. Ilmari30, Unlucky Boys HC, Forward One of the better playmakers in the game for sure. He makes things easy for him and his teammates. His definitely gonna quarterback UBs game, and take them far this season. 3. Stefan_397, Inter Iceland, Forward Stefan, just like the rest of Inter Iceland, is some kind of mystery to me (and to the community I think). I dont really know that much about him to be honest, only that he can score a lot of goals. If he can keep that kind of scoring up (65 goals last regular season) we can expect great things from Inter Iceland this season. 4. Kaneyh, White Trash, Forward Kaneyh is one of the best Versus/HUT players to come out of Finland and based on his stats from last season, his talents has carried over to 6v6 as well. If WT is able to shut down their opponents and Kaneyh manages to continue his skillfull terror upfront - watch out for him and for this team. 5. Juizki, Checkmate, G Juizki is one of the most underrated goalies in the game and everytime I have faced him in EASHL, he has been really good, bordering on amazing. Checkmate as a team has acquired a whole bunch of new players and with Juziki backstopping them, this team is going to be really interesting to watch. Teams to watch 1. White Trash We faced them last season and from what I could tell then (and now) their offense is truly elite level. But again the same story as most of the Pro teams comes back - they really lack unity in their own zone. If they can sort that out, these guys are going to be scary good. 2. HC Checkmate Building on what was said above in "Players to watch" with Juizki, Checkmate is a team to look out for this season. While maybe not at the very top of the predicted Pro teams, they still feature a lot of skill and massive amounts of chemistry. Their offense, led by BiggestEight on LW, also features speedcell104 and TackleControl - forming a line whose speed and creative attacks is enough to send the opponents heads spinning. Couple that with Juizkis play in net and new signing IYouShallNotPass on defense and you have a real interesting team. 3. Nordic Stars This is a team filled up with some great players. However, I have not yet faced them in EASHL competition so I couldn't really put them in the top 5 prediction this time. This team has the potential to be really good in every zone though and actually dominate the pro division - possibly even challenging CAR and 112 for the championship. 4. Baltic Sea Eagles Don't forget about these veterans. BSE has been around since before Jesus (not talking about the Company of Geeks captain... or am I?) and has amassed a lot of experience. This will be their first entry into the ECL scene from what I understand and it will be interesting to see how they handle the tempo of ECL competition. That is it for Pro, leave your thoughts in the comment section and give nylanderis first contribution to the website the attention it deserves. See you all tomorrow for the ECL 4 Elite preview! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan & nylanderi

Good afternoon NHLGamers, Me - The_Alpha_Furyan - and the rest of the NHLGamer staff bid you welcome to another installment of our ECL Season Preview. To get an idea of what we will be doing in these previews, you can check out our previous one for Season 3. While that preview focused more on listing all the participating teams and simply predicting which ones would come out on top from the regular season, this one will try to dig a little deeper and supply a more in-depth look at each and every division - something the community has been vocal about in their feedback to our writing staff. Text, scouting and predictions by The_Alpha_Furyan Art by OxtreeLAT We kick off our 3-part installment by looking at the Lite division, where we find a total 32 teams (one more team was allowed late entry to even out the amount of Lite teams) - lots of them new to the community and to myself personally. This preview might be a bit biased towards the teams I know and have seen before but that should also provide some great motivation for all other teams to prove me wrong and fight for those top seeds. Prediction for the Regular Season Top- 5. 1. HC Ancient Warriors This team is on par with most Pro teams out there and should without a doubt be a contender to win the Lite title. If not the champions, they are likely to gain a top seed in the regular season and make their way through the playoffs to secure one of the promotion spots. 2. Bone Breakers I will admit to not knowing the full story of this team outside of their appearance in ECL 3 where their participation didn't extend all the way through the season. From what I've been told by multiple sources though, they were quite the force to be reckoned with back in the Consolehockey days and could be one of the top contenders for the ECL 4 Lite title. 3. DEAD END KINGS Featuring quite a few former players from Elite division team Synergy, DEAD END KINGS will be looking to establish their own legacy with this new team. Keep an eye out for this team right from the start as I predict they will come out of the gates hungry to prove that they belong in the Pro divison. 4. iNF4M0US Any team that is good enough to beat Laser HT under any conditions has my respect and that is just what this team did. No idea what the circumstances were for that game but like I said, beating LHT certainly establishes some credibility. 5. EN HUND Able to keep most of their roster together after a disappointing end to the ECL 3 season, EN HUND should be rejuvenated playing in the Lite division. Featuring many former members of Elite division team SIKA, EN HUND has both the experience and chemistry neccessary for both a strong regular season and a long playoff run. Championship favorite Going with my top pick for the regular season here as I predict HC Ancient Warriors to win the Lite championship. They're one of the best Lite teams I have personally played against and have been practicing hard ever since ECL 3, trying to get themselves ready for ECL 4. Getting past some of the other more experienced teams won't be a walk in the park though and who knows - we might see a complete upset coming out of Lite. Players to watch 1. esdor15, Lavetten, Forward One of the very best HUT players NHL 17 has to offer makes his ECL debut for team Lavetten and it should be an interesting one. With the right mindset, willingness to improve and translation of his Versus/HUT skill to EASHL - esdor15 could easily be one of the breakout players from ECL 4 Lite. At this point I am not sure what position he will occupy in the lineup but my guess is forward to maximize his offensive skill. 2. Stylez-Hadez, HC Ancient Warriors, C/RW/LW The captain and leader of my predicted ECL Lite championship team, HC Ancient Warriors, deserves a mention here. Stylez is originally from the Versus side of NHL 17 where he has been a Top-100 player for quite a while while only getting his first taste of ECL last season with Sjukstugan. When playing against Ancient Warriors in EASHL lately they've been very competitive and I have to believe that is largely due to their captain. 3. Nephenzy, DEAD END KINGS, C/LW Another captain on this list, Nephenzy is an experienced ECLer with two seasons in Synergy and one season in Northern Ascendancy under his belt. While capable of playing everywhere (as evidenced from last season where he played every position in the lineup for NOR), we will most likely see Nephenzy lead his team to a top seed in Lite from the center position. 4. PatzyDrake, Falun Coal Miners, LW One of the more experienced ECLers in the entire ECL Lite division, PatzyDrake has amassed exactly 60 goals and over 100 points through 3 ECL seasons thus far. A constant presence on the FCM left wing, this sniping powerforward is just as effective ripping a one-timer as he is dangling his way to the net. Will try to juggle his IRL career as a semi-professional handball player with his responsibilites as the go-to guy for FCM - remains to be seen how many games he will be able to play for ECL 4. 5. TEAMSEILA, EN HUND, D TEAMSEILA, the hardest hitting defender in ECL, barely missed out on winning the "Most Hits" trophy for ECL 3. While his strenghts lie in his physical game and defensive awareness, this ex-SIKA defender is also a capable leader with the ability to chip in offensively when needed. Will try to lead his team EN HUND to ECL Lite glory this season. But seriously, what is with the capital letters - both username and team name?! Teams to watch 1. Lavetten This team will feature many experienced Versus and HUT players with parts of the squad getting their EASHL feet wet in ECL 3 for team HC Solhem. While that adventure didn't turn out the way the team had hoped, look for the members of that squad to want revenge while playing this time for Lavetten. With the signings of esdor and dallinhoo, Captain (and winner of the Swedish Versus championships) juniorzalaz has put together a strong team. 2. Falun Coal Miners Got to give a shoutout to my old team here as well. With brothers and FCM owners/captains The_Alpha_Furyan & LastMandalorian both leaving for Sjukstugan - this team of real-life friends will be looking to prove themselves in ECL 4 Lite. Led by ECL veterans Meeertz (D), onecorner95 (G), PatzyDrake (LW) and iscojr94 (C), Falun will first be looking to establish a new team identity without the ever-constant crack of the whip from their previous captains. Look for this team to take a while to gel before taking off in the back half of the season. 3. Elämäm Kiekko The sweetheart team of ECL 3, these happy-go-lucky Finns certainly displayed a tremendous attitude during their first season. Despite losing more games than they won, they kept their spirits high and made sure to entertain the community as much as they could. Lets see what their sophomore season brings in terms of success on the ice! That is all for Lite. Look for our second part of the ECL 4 Season preview, Pro Division, tomorrow. For that installment (and for the Elite preview on Sunday) I will be enlisting the help of a new mystery Staff member-in-training... Keep an eye out! Later skaters, The_Alpha_Furyan for NHLGamer.com

Hello NHLGamers, Well, that was quite an intense experience wasn't it? Several months of competitive virtual hockey in the bag with more than a few highlight reel goals, slick saucer passes and bone crushing hits along the way. If you are anything like me, the time between ECLs is spent recovering from the emotional rollercoaster of the previous tournament while at the same time anticipating the next one. Judging by the activity in the NHLGamer forums, the amount of new members and teams registered plus the crazy Free Agent season we've seen so far - ECL 4 looks to surpass all previous tournaments in terms of participation and activity. Almost 80 teams registered, that is insane! Thank you all for making this community what it is and making sure we stay on course in building the ultimate gathering place for competitive NHL gamers. Keep up the great activity and know that the next step on the NHLGamer journey, ECL Divisions, is right around the corner. Here is all the information that is available right now concerning ECL 4 and the format it will feature: ECL Divisions FAQ. With 45 teams registered for the Pro division and 15 for Elite, the NHLGamer staff does have some work to do in balancing the divisions and making sure the numbers stay even in terms of division size. Look for an update this week with the finalized division placements, the tournament start date plus the schedule for the season. With that said, before we get started with ECL 4 it is time to properly close the book on our previous tournament. What better way to do that than to celebrate the greatest individual achievements of ECL 3? As you've most likely guessed based on the news story title, it is time for the ECL 3 Regular Season Awards (featuring the Playoff MVP)! In total, there will be 9 individual trophys handed out (6 for skaters, 3 for goalies) for the regular season and 1 for the playoffs. Most of these you might have seen before in this story where we presented the trophys for ECL 1, 2 and Summer Cup. However, you will notice two new additions for this particular tournament. Enjoy! (If someone isn't tagged, it is because I did not know their forum name.) ECL 3 - Regular season: Most Points - @Joukki with 86 goals and 87 assists for 173 points in 42 games. This is joukkis second award for Most Points as he previously snagged the award in ECL 1. Most Goals - Joukki again with his 86 goals; featuring 13 PPG, 1 SHG and 16 GWGs. joukki won this award for ECL 1 as well, so this is his second goal scoring title and fourth individual trophy in total. Most Assists - Puantso, who breaches the 100-plateau with 106 assists in 39 games played. This is the second trophy for most assists by Puantso as he won the title for ECL 1. NEW Most hits - Tanski87 of Rusty Blades delivered a crushing 327 hits in 46 games played. He wins this new award by a margin of more than 70 hits. Most Points by a Defenseman - @Rullstolskalas with a total of 14+63 = 77 in 46 games played. The first defenseman scoring title for longtime Northern Stars defender "Rulle". Best Plus/Minus - This category was completely dominated by Aapon Taikasauva who had the Top 5 spots. Winning the award is @indi969 with +179 in 44 games. Best Save % - Just like before, the requirement to win this title is that the goaltender in question plays at the very least 50% of his teams games. Playing in 24 out of 46 games for Northern Stars, MZK-TrophyHunter qualifies and delivered a commanding 83.71 % in those games. Most Wins by a Goalie - By many considered to be one of the top EASHL goalies in the world, @FinKonna finally manages to snag an goaltending award with his spectacular 37-8-1 record for ECL 3. NEW Most shutouts - @SneakPeaker of X Factor and @SpiderRoyal of SIKA shares this new goaltending award with 9 shutouts each. ECL 3 - Playoffs: As is custom, we only award one individual trophy during the playoffs - the Playoff MVP. This one goes to championship winners X Factors #1 center, @Penatski. With 46 points in 24 playoff games (featuring an impressive 8 points in 4 games during the finals) he finished among the top point scorers for the playoffs and was judged to be the primary X Factor in his teams success. Yes, I know. Sorry. Jokes aside, congratulations to you Penatski - well deserved! To finish this one off, we once again hand the mic over to X Factor captain, @nylanderi, for some choice words about his top playoff producer; "What a player. Great two-way forward, with TOP hockey iq. In the regular season X Factor scored 199 goals... and Penatski had a point in 165 of them. He always found a way to create scoring chances without ever hurting our defense. Although he is really young, he plays a truly mature game. He came through for us in the playoffs with so many crucial OT goals. Penatski deserves this trophy without a doubt" That is all for now. Look for the ECL 4 update this week! Later skaters! NHLGamer.com

Evening NHLGamers, After a tremendous season and an even better playoff run it gives us here at NHLGamer.com great joy to present our new reigning champions: X FACTOR. Congratulations on winning the ultimate prize that competitive EASHL gaming in Europe has to offer! Well deserved. It feels like a lifetime ago when ECL 3 kicked off in mid-October but really it has only been 3 months. That being said, it has been our longest season yet and a learning experience to be sure. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the teams and players that participated - we know there are things to work on for future tournaments and we are excited to do so in combination with you, the community. Thanks once again! Now, without further ado, I will leave the floor to X Factor captain and leader, @nylanderi, who was gracious enough to take time out of his teams' celebrations to write a season recap. Take it away, sir. "OUR STORY When I created X Factor 3-4 days before ECL3 registrations closed, I never ever expected that this would happen. We played pretty good in EASHL before ECL start, but my biggest concern was our experience in big games. We had a team who could challenge every team, but I still was not sure about our chances to go far. I did not know - would we have what it takes to win best of 7 series against top teams? Regular Season Regular season started with big games against former champs Nordic Blizzard. I felt like we could have won both games, but they played really good and won one of the games. Northern Stars also gave us big problems, with their defensive playstyle and offensively just going for rebounds/deflections. We had most of our best opponents in the start of the season, and since we lost many games i dont think anyone believed in our chances. After Rynnäkköviikset games, something changed. We won 23 ECL games in a row, and I got excited. Maybe we could go far, and challenge for the title. Closer to end of season, something happened. We signed a player. F-B-I__A-N-D-Y_. And this signing was the point in the season, when I knew that we are gonna win the title. End of the season, big games against SKY and Dynasty. My personal least favourite opponent SKY. We won 1, lost 1 but still managed to put good performance. Playoffs Kattiautomaatti: Great defensive team, with top D-man pairing. We did not really expect too much, but they played really good. I felt like they just did not have goal scorers, that could challenge our defense. Well played and good luck to the future. Dynasty: First gameday (games 1-3), i felt like we are gonna sweep these guys. We played so good, and Dynasty struggled to create offense. Series was 2-1 after 3 games, although i felt like it should have been 3-0. Second gameday, they bring in Jageksi. I still felt confident, until i found out Penatski's alarm didnt go off and he slept during game 4. Series 2-2. I gotta say, i have never seen a team develop so much in couple of days. Gameday 2s Dynasty was of course so good defensively, but now super dangerous offensively aswell. But, then Mr. Danielcadabra stepped up. I never have seen such a dominant goalie, he was the reason we got trough Dynasty. (and of course my overtime shorthanded rebound goal ) We won Game 7, and Snapu was the first member of X Factor bandwagon. Lets go! Sika: Good defensive team, who are always dangerous in offensive zone. We did not play our best hockey this series, but Danielcadabra continued his great form. Series could have been lot closer, they got some good chances and were quite unlucky at times. 4-1 Factor, Lets go! Aapon Taikasauva: Super offense. Best offensive in the game, hands down. I knew that this is the time for me and Andy to step up. I think this series, was the time when people found out that maybe we are not all offense. During this we defended as a team, and i was really happy with our performance although it took us 7 games to go through. We did not score so many, but i felt like our defense was rock solid and they could not really get any good chances. Game 7 OT goal by yours truly, Lets go! Finnish Roosters: Well, team who swept Written and Laser. (Holy shit!). Team with 2 amazing players in offense PleeMaker and Tbnantti, and great team defense. I were still really confident, since i always felt we play really good vs. Roosters. Series were really tight, both teams played really good. Our team defense was on point, they did not really get any good chances, and we were really clinical. This series showed me that we had the best team defense in the whole tournament. Throughout the series one player stepped up the most, Penatski. He created almost our every offensive chance, and scored big goals (and for once defended ). 3 games went to overtime, but we somehow managed to score big goals, thanks to our offense Vilu, Ape and Pena. Amazing series by us, 4-0 X Factor. VICTORY! Playoff lineup: Vilupoika: One of the best defensive forwards in this game, who scored lots of important goals. He always listened and learned. Truly a great team player, and i hope he finds a good team for ECL4. Penatski: Young boy, who does not really care about anything. But hey, he can play NHL! Our offensive leader, who is certainly my pick for our season MVP. Lots of good goals, assists and penalties. Kingofapes_: I have never argued with someone as much as i did with Ape. Ape scored lots of big goals, and defended like a beast in the finals. Ape listened to Nylanderi Hockey Philosophy, and instantly turned in to best RW in the game. Otahan siitä. Well done Fbiandy: Best RD in the game, no doubt. I felt really comfortable playing alongside him, we always had good chemistry. He was solid in defense, and great passer. Nylanderi [TEXT BY @vSilenttio]: X Factor's ultimate leader. Captain with big C for sure. The guy who some people were laughing at during the XF's streams when he told his players what to do and how to do. From my view it was Nylanderi who kept this insanely talented team moving forward, come hell or high water. And that's just how I see him off the ice. What he did on the ice, defensively and offensively, was that he kept his calmness and skill-set of his just like that in the most tightest games of the season. Amazing player, even better captain. Can't wait to see this guy to play with @plee999 as they will be the LW/LD combo in new Elite team, Limitless. Danielcadabra: Player who stepped up the most, during playoffs, Dynasty and Sika series MVP. Made all this possible. Amazing goalie. Huge thanks to staff for organizing this tournament. -nylanderi" Thank you nylanderi! X Factor has truly made a mark on the community on its way to becoming our third ECL champion, beating some terrific teams along the way to their first ever championship. Once again, congratulations! But now, let us look to the future. To all the teams that are eager to get back on the ice and follow in the footsteps of our champions Nordic Blizzard, Mukimiehet and X Factor - ECL 4 is just a couple of weeks away. Be sure to check out our news story concerning the next step in competitive EASHL gaming; divisions and once you are done reading that - go check out the registration news story here. The ECL Elite, Pro and Lite divisions await - let's play some hockey. See you soon, NHLGamer.com