Mikka

The long and hard-fought spring season is nearing its culmination, as we're down to the final four. The remaining teams have already secured an Elite qualification series, but now we'll get to see who advances to the Pro finals! In this article we will take a closer look at the matchups. Schedule   Preview (1)  Reality Check vs AHJO (10) Reality Check started off the regular season with insane form, although it seemed to falter a bit towards the end. Come playoff time, when it matters the most, they have definitely been back to their best: currently boasting an 8-0 record, they plowed through the first two rounds with clean 4-0 sweeps in both series. AHJO on the other hand has not had such ease in their progress, with their first round bout against Hokurit going all the way to seven games. Even AHJO did actually manage a 4-0 sweep in the quarterfinals though, impressingly topping last season's semifinalist RCTIC. Both teams are coming in with plenty of momentum after their quarterfinals success, which anticipates a hotly contested battle. Some familiarities should also make sparks fly in this matchup: first of all, these teams already faced each other in the Winter season's quarterfinals, the result going 4-3 in favor of Reality Check that time. Secondly, @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) has made the switch from Reality Check to AHJO since then. The teams have naturally seen changes in their rosters, but both of them have retained their main core. Thus, a hunger for revenge is surely to be expected from AHJO's side. For whatever it is worth, Reality Check were able to pull through in a similar situation when facing familiar faces in the semifinals last season. One question that is up in the air is Reality Check's lineup. It seems like they will have to cope without standout RD @kim_johan for at least part of the series, which could signify a clear beacon of hope for AHJO's final aspirations. Especially if kim_johan misses the majority of games, it will be extremely interesting to see how an inexperienced @Zeipii574 can step into a starting six that has been set in stone since day one of the season. Expect LD @Mikax222 to take on an even bigger role to help offset the change and alleviate pressure, having been the team's puck possession monster. As another rather inexperienced player though, Mikax222's numbers have been slightly down from the regular season. Now if ever is the chance to step up and take the team to the finals. Even though being the number one seed may debatably have helped them get favorable matchups, Reality Check has still been tremendously impressive in closing their battles in a timely manner. They must not fall into too much of a comfort zone after their early success, as this round is most likely going to be a tougher test. They need to be ready from the get go, especially with their unusual lineup, as a hot start from AHJO could tilt the series towards the underdogs. A common denominator between these teams is their will to rise to Elite, and a trip to the finals would give them an additional kick at the can. AHJO can most certainly mount an upset campaign, and the uncertainty brought about by their opponents' mishmash lineup offers further help in a significant way. For now though, before any games are played, Reality Check should still be viewed as the favorites to prevail.   Prediction:  @Mikka: Reality Check 4-2 @Wpaanane: Plays for AHJO   (2)  Växjö Lakers vs HanaaHC  (3) Written by @Wpaanane Växjö Lakers started their regular season with the record 15-1 and from the beginning they wanted to show everyone that this team wants to win the Pro division after a disastrous winter campaign. On the other hand, HanaaHC started their regular season equally good with a 9-1 record. Both of these teams had the same record after the regular season (23-5-2). In the first round of playoffs, Växjö didn’t have any problems and they managed to win the series 4-1 against Geekz Energy eSports. Moving on to the second round, Växjö faced Herlev Eagles and continued their run by winning the series 4-2.  HanaaHC’s playoffs start hasn’t been the easiest, as they started their run with two game seven series and winning both of them.  HanaaHC’s @xLeikku has been phenomenal in these playoffs by leading his team and the entire Pro division with 12+21=33 points. On the other hand Växjö’s @Kattenj has been great and is leading his team in points by having 7+19=26 points. Växjö’s goalie @MrAllsvenskan has been great in net having 87,63 as his save percentage with 1.33 GAA. On the other side HanaaHC’s @Simbanho has had some difficulties in the first rounds of playoffs having 77.24 as his save percentage with 2.0GAA. On paper Växjö takes the goalie battle to their way, but we’ll see if HanaaHC can silence Växjö’s offensive trio. Although we are seeing a battle betweenseed #2 and #3, Växjö is the favourite to win this series and continue their way to the Pro division final. We’ll see what happens, can HanaaHC stop Växjö’s offensive core to battle their way to the Pro finals. Prediction:  @Mikka: Plays for HanaaHC @Wpaanane: Växjö Lakers 4-2   Stay tuned to the teams' socials to easily keep up with the ever-living schedules and streams, as we eagerly await to find out who gets to participate in the finals action beginning on Sunday! If you are interested in any individual statistics, visit the league page or reach your preferred team's page by clicking their name in this article.   PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter

If parity was the name of the game in the regular season, it surely seemed to be the case in the first round as well. Four game sevens and two six game series, only the group winners were able to fend off their competition without lengthy nights. Who's going through now? Let's take a look. Schedule Preview (1) Reality Check vs Sulkavan Sudet (14) Due to time constraints this preview couldn't be finished before these teams already settled the score: Reality Check advances with a clean 4-0 sweep. Reality Check hasn't lost a single game in these playoffs so far, sweeping both opponents. (2) Växjö Lakers vs Herlev Eagles (12) Växjö Lakers had a fairly dominant regular season, especially offensively. That seemed to continue right away in postseason play with a 9-3 win to open off the series against Geekz Energy eSports, but they were instantly brought back to earth with a 1-4 loss in game two. After having a day off and some time to regroup, they went on to win the following three games to clinch the series, though the margins were a lot smaller with two 1-0 games and a 4-3 overtime win. Herlev Eagles played in the same group as Växjö, and were also considered among its top teams ahead of the regular season. The start to their campaign wasn't an easy one, and they had to go down to the wire to clinch a postseason spot only on the last gameday. That wasn't in any way apparent when watching their first round series against Tohtorit though: the Eagles won the first three games in a row to gain a chance to complete the sweep. In the end they needed a few extra games to get it done, finally finishing it up in game six after what proved to be a controversial end to the series with some disconnect drama. As both teams played in Group 2, we (and the teams, obviously) already have some data on how they match up against each other. While Växjö won both games that time, 3-1 and 6-3, it was one of the first meetings of the season. A month has already passed since then, so there's definitely been time for improvements. Without in any way undermining their defense or especially the exceptional goaltenders, both of these teams live through their forwards. The trios of @vibholm10 - @Mr Steffmeister (Suth98_) - @keranee and @Kattenj - @dzouvi - @Birkedal96 of Herlev and Växjö, respectively, will be going head to head with chips on their shoulders. The material advantage goes to the latter, though in contrast Herlev's roster has been together for some time now. That accumulated chemistry could really help them when trying to shut down Växjö's offensive prowess. These teams possess a lot of skill, and the series will be decided by who can use it the best and who, in turn, is able to make their opponents' life a nightmare. While the seed difference may be quite substantial, Herlev Eagles aren't as big of an underdog as it would suggest. Växjö Lakers is still the clear favorite here though, let's not get that mixed up. Watch out for an upset, but don't hold up your hopes for it too high. Prediction: @Mikka: Växjö Lakers 4-2 @jahajaha93: Växjö Lakers 4-1 (3) HanaaHC vs Renascor (11) Written by @jahajaha93 HanaaHC came out swinging in the first round of playoffs both on and off the ice, stirring the pot a bit just in time for their first games against VISU Gaming to start. The3 long-time Pro dwellers went into the series with good spirits and high confidence, until VISU Gaming struck back in ways very characteristic to their game. Despite the setbacks, Hanaa stayed in control throughout the series and we saw them even dominate possession at times, but VISU kept themselves in the game, always posing a threat with their effective counter attacking and well executed passing plays. Now, HanaaHC is up against a new kind of challenge, one they seem to have fended off quite well as they are in a commanding 3-1 series lead after the first night of gaming. The Russian outfit Renascor is a bit of a surprise to be seen at this stage of the playoffs, but they've really grown over the course of the season and overcoming the very talented Sinister squad in the first round is a commendable effort by them. The team has really rallied around the excellent play of goalie @sumskoy26 (SumkaX) and is looking to continue on that path to beat HanaaHC too. Some similarities can be found in Hanaa and their previous opponent, mainly the high level of individual skill and tendency to hold on to the puck rather than shoot at times, but HanaaHC definitely has the experience card up their sleeve. The series currently stands at 3-1 in favor of HanaaHC. (9) RCTIC vs AHJO (10) Due to the amount of first round upsets, the fourth best seed remaining is *9th*! RCTIC finished 6th in Group 1 in the regular season and followed that up by nearly sweeping Be a Bro in the last round. The clean sweep didn't end up happening after their 3-0 series lead got reduced to 3-2, but they still got the job done in the end in six games. On the other hand AHJO didn't have as easy of a time, trailing 1-2 and 2-3 against Hokurit before extending the series to seven and clutching it home. RCTIC had some troubles at the star of the season, but they seem to have found their footing recently. While @Limbe65 carried a heavy scoring load in the regular season, fellow forwards @yrjoo and @Naikou88 have stepped up to match the production come playoff time. @MrNipsuli hasn't found the points yet, but defensive performances have been stellar as expected. An interesting note from the first round, MrNipsuli-'s unorthodox build: a 178cm tall puck moving defenseman is definitely shorter than what we typically see at this level. As noted, AHJO didn't exactly cruise through from the last round. They even resorted to some lineup shuffling after the first night of play, swapping @xHatsi to center and @Eeemill_ to right-winger for the last four games. Perhaps that's what eventually helped them over the hump, but we'll see if the positions get reshuffled yet again if they start off cold. The "Icy Boyz" reached the semifinals with this exact same 9th seed last season, and it seems likely to reoccur now as well. However, AHJO can definitely mount a challenge and even end up on top, as long as they keep on improving with their relatively fresh lineup having added @Wpaanane at the transfer deadline. This series could go any way without it being a huge surprise, and it will come down to who's done their homework better and can perform when it matters the most. For now RCTIC takes the edge on paper with their experience, though we also have to remember that AHJO (then named Dynastia) took number one seeded Reality Check all the way to a game seven in their series at this same stage last season, only revamping their left side of the ice since then. Just to reiterate one last time, this should be the tightest series in this round. Does experience prevail, or will a honeymoon phase power a slight upset? Let's go with the bold prediction for a change. Prediction: @Mikka: 2-4 AHJO @jahajaha93: 4-3 RCTIC This round is a bit longer than usual, but we'll have our final four clear soon enough. Good luck and have fun everyone, whether it's playing or cheering on your favorites! PS: We would love for you to follow our social channels, as they are an integral part of the ECL season. Discord Instagram Facebook Twitch Twitter