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NHLGamers, With the eSHL season closing in on us, it's time to take a look at some of the teams that will be participating, and as we've released information about most other teams, let's now take a look at Malmö Redhawks. The club from the very south of Sweden has signed a highly competitive roster that is looking to take the league by storm. The base of Malmös roster consists of players from the reigning SCL champions Vesa Pompa HC and the team is captained by 25 year-old defenseman Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann. On top of Vesa Pompa players, such as Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund, Anton @antoniomannen004 Svensander and Edvin@Thunborg5 Thunborg, the club has signed a few players who are the very cream of the crop when it comes to competitive NHL 6's. The guys we're talking about is of course HAVU Gaming forwards Risto @Dominointi Järvi and Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, who are no strangers to hoisting trophies and will surely be giving a welcomed boost to this already strong roster. Having a roster comprised of both Swedish and Finnish champions, Malmö puts themselves right into the contender discussion from the get go. "We got into contact with Malmö quite early on and realised that we had a shared understanding about the potential of NHL esports. Ever since our first contact, we've been convinced that the club is investing into this endeavor and have been met by nothing but top class attitude. It was honestly an easy decision to sign with Malmö and we're proud to be representing this club." - Captain @Lehmannens in an interview with Fragbite.se "I'm excited to get playing already! I'm very familiar with my teammates and know that there's tremendous potential that we possess. We've got a bunch of young players and are hungry for both progress and success. All of us want to take home that trophy and I'm confident we have all the tools to do so." - Right winger @FlyerKungen on malmoredhawks.com @Hansulinho will be serving as a backup for the team, which aims to play through the league with a tight set lineup. Malmö Redhawks Malmö is one of the largest Swedish cities and home to the southernmost team in the SHL. Having been founded in 1972, it is one of the younger clubs in the SHL. The club has won two Swedish championships (1992, 1994) and started their current run at the top level in 2015, when they gained their latest promotion.

NHLGamers, It’s a great day as we have the pleasure of announcing the eSHL roster of Djurgårdens IF, historically the most successful hockey club in the Swedish national league. The club hailing from Stockholm has today announced a contract with the former Miracle roster. Miracle, alike Djurgårdens IF is a team with a long history of playing at the top competitive level. in the past couple years, they’ve been playing under several different names, but the teams core and captain has remained the same as long-time community member Kimi @Zip player Nordberg has been the man in charge ever since the club was founded as White Trash in 2016 for ECL 3. The team saw decent success in the Pro division for a few seasons, but managed to have a breakout in ECL 6, where they reached the semifinals and finally ended up in a relegation faceoff against Nordic Stars. After a wild series, a promotion was reality and the team would compete at the Elite level from that point onward. ECL 9 was fairly good for the team, who struggled in the beginning but after a few timely acquisitions found their stride. Some minor changes will happen in the roster: “We’re making some changes to the lineup and will be playing with a tighter roster than before. The main change is that we’re bringing in Nico @nylanderi Laitinen on the starting spot at LD.” - Captain @Zip playeron roster changes for the eSHL One of the other leading forces behind the team is another pioneer and personality in our community - Mattias @iSvamp Björck, whom we reached for some comments about their new eSHL endeavor. Do you have any DIF fans in your ranks or past connections to the team? “@amadee21 has been working as a game reporter for Djurgården Hockey and has ever since he was a kid been a big fan. I know he always dreamed about playing for Djurgården in SHL, and now he gets that opportunity opportunity on the virtual ice, which I’m really happy about." "My own connection to DIF started back in 1997 I think. I'm a guy who watches a lot of live hockey, and I saw my first Djurgården game in 1997 against Färjestad. Since then, I’ve seen them both in playoff games in SHL, in the relegation series which earlier were called "Kvalserien". I think by now I’ve seen them play against every SHL team except Luleå and Oskarshamn.“ How does it feel to finally ink this deal and in that being solidified as eSHL participants? “It feels really good! This league has been a big topic in the community lately. I'm one of the guys that have rallied behind the statement that two ECL tournaments per year isn't enough for this game, and this community needs more competitive tournaments to actually become a valid Esport. To now have signed a deal with Djurgården Hockey and to get the chance to play in eSHL, with our own roster from Miracle representing this big Swedish club feels really good. We are also one of the teams that isn't using any loan players from other top clubs, which will make it interesting to see how far it can take us in this league, and also how much it will help us for the upcoming ECL 10 which still is the big thing. It will also be interesting to see how it will go for the clubs that have done local tryouts now when we have so many Elite teams like Linköping, Färjestad, Luleå and us." Who are the teams to beat this upcoming season? “Linköping without a doubt. They signed a complete roster from FILA, a club that has solidified their spot in the European top 3 for quite some time already. Behind them, I believe it’ll be really tight. Luleå had a great season in this ECL, they also showed some lineup depth and good management when they changed their lineup in the series against Roots, which took them to the semis. Färjestad has boosted their lineup with a defenseman from HAVU, and Vesa Pompa (Malmö) from PRO has loan-deals with maybe two of the best forwards in the world right now (Dominointi and Flyerkungen), which will make them a better team for sure. I also think that Växjö will be a team that can win games against every team in the league, their signing of eBasse is a good one and I really think he will fit their style. Linköping will probably get a perfect record, and the key games will be against the teams I mentioned above.” Djurgårdens IF Hockey Djurgårdens IF is one of the largest sports clubs in Sweden and with that one of the most recognizable ones too. Hailing from the nations capital Stockholm, they are currently the hockey pride of their city as dear rival AIK is struggling and not currently competing at the top level. Djurgården is the team with the most championships in the history of the Swedish national league (16), out of which the latest was won in 2001. The start date of the eSHL is closing in on us, so expect even more news coming up soon! Please also read Djurgårdens own press release here.

NHLGamers, Tonight we'll be broadcasting some prime ECL 9 Elite action as the well known rivalry between HAVU Gaming and Butterfly Effect returns for the decisive games of their semifinal series. So far, four games have been played in this best of seven series and wins are split at two each. Let's remember that these teams have met at some point of the playoffs in a vast majority of tournaments they have ever participated in simultaneously, which surely brings heat to the matchup in itself. So far, HAVU has been a dominant force winning all of the played series between these two teams (despite regular season matches), but as we remember, IS Cup 4 was a close one. That series was one for the ages, so our hopes are high for the remaining games of this one too. To recap what we've seen in games 1-4, we could state that close doesn't quite cut it when it comes to these two. As stated, we're now even at 2-2 where the two teams have traded wins on two separate game nights. In game 1, Butterfly Effect scored early and managed to stay in the drivers seat for a majority of the game, before @Buantso showed his offensive prowess, netting two goals in quick succession and sending his team to a victory to start off the series. The second game was a HAVU nightmare. A seemingly tight battle just didn't go their way at all, as Butterfly Effect once again took the lead but this time didn't let up, outscoring the reigning champions 5-1. The series is tied. Games 3 & 4 followed a similar pattern to the first two. HAVU won game 3 in a game that Butterfly Effect made especially difficult for themselves bu taking two penalties really early on. 2-0 HAVU puts them ahead in the series only to see Butterfly Effect come back in the fourth game. In tonights broadcast, we'll have you favourite dynamic duo Arttu @OLVARI Hämäläinen and Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta back in the booth. Tune in at 21:00 CET over at www.twitch.tv/nhlgamer for all the action.

NHLGamers, To cap off the decade, we’re excited to be able to bring you guys some interesting news in the form of a new partnership. It’s been in the works for quite some time already but today we announce our collaboration with Goalie Guild Gaming (G3), which is operated by The Goalie Guild (TGG). Having been founded in September of 2019, G3 is already making waves and implementing a change in how esports is seen worldwide. The objectives of both NHLGamer and G3 align perfectly and having existing connections in the form of dual members such as Justin Maravegias (@TheCreasePolice) and Problematic Esports co-owner Kasimir Kaskisuo (@Kazzazzin) makes this the perfect time to make the partnership official. “We’re truly excited to finally announce the partnership with The Goalie Guild and Goalie Guild Gaming! Having kept in touch with their founder, Justin Goldman, for months and learning about all of the great things TGG is working to accomplish, I’m convinced that working together will be very lucrative for the current and future virtual goaltenders out there!” -Kenneth Lehtinen (@Kenu), NHLGamer Founder Goalie Guild Gaming not only supports the growth of all NHL esports, it actively researches the benefits of gaming for goaltenders in concert with other partners like mindSpark Learning, Between The Pipes and more. This includes game mechanics, industry connections, and future job opportunities as well. By bringing some of the top esports goalies in the world together to collaborate with new ideas, a constant stream of communication is taking place every day between members and partners on platforms like Discord, Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook. “It is so exciting to partner with NHLGamer in order to support and promote goalies in their community. We take great pride in our strong professional and personal ties to Finland, Sweden, and other European countries, so this is a natural fit and a great opportunity to grow NHL esports. I strongly believe that diversity and equity in goalie education should include the gaming and esports communities as well.” - The Goalie Guild founder Justin Goldman (@TheGoalieGuild) on partnering with NHLGamer. The strong friendships that already exist between these organizations, as well as the support each club will continue providing one another, is set to create a more positive and successful global NHL esports scene. By formalizing and structuring NHL esports programs, partnerships like these will provide more opportunities for esports athletes and gamers of all ages and skill levels to develop, compete, and evolve. Also starting in 2020, G3 will be rolling out new content focused on providing our community with free education on goalie-specific strategy and performance. Links: G3 Esports Club The Goalie Guild

NHLGamers, The ECL 9 Neo Playoffs are rolling on nicely and we're starting to see which teams are the strongest of the pack and in that way possibly deserving of promotions for next season. It's been a long stretch to this point but there's still some way to go. The quarterfinals will start on Monday the 30th of December 2019 and end on Sunday the 5th of January 2019. Here is a schedule for the remainder of the ECL 9 Neo playoffs: Quarterfinals: 30.12 - 5.1 Semifinals: 7.1 - 13.1 Finals: 15.1 - 21.1 For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from section 5.7 and 10.7.2 of the ECL 9 Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-five and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team. Here are the quarterfinal matchups of the ECL 9 Neo Playoffs: (1) Kuutamokiekko vs. Team HulluPullo (12) (2) Seinajoki Noms vs. SUNTRIP (11) (3) Eliel Kings vs. Olympia (8) (4) TanssiiTuhtienKansa vs. EIS Force Hockey (7) As always - Play hard and stay competitive, but first and foremost enjoy yourselves! Who do you think will win?

NHLGamers, Holiday season is slowly blowing over and that means we’ll be getting back to work both in the sense of our daily lives and in the ECL, where the hoisting of the trophy is closing in on us day by day. At this point, we’ve weeded out all but four teams, who have fought hard to earn their spot in the semifinals, but will need to go that extra mile in order to secure a spot at the final event and a chance for the biggest share of the 5 000 € prize pool. Here's how the playoffs of ECL 9 Elite will be played from now on: Semifinals: 30.12 - 5.1 Finals: 11.1 (To be confirmed) All series are played in best-of-7 manner, meaning that the first team to amass four victories advances to the next round. Let's get on with the previews, thanks to @Faydas for handling player interviews. (1) Linkoping HC vs Lulea Hockey (5) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 27-2-1 vs 16-11-3 TOP SCORER @Eki (32+52=84) vs @hpkfani (23+14=37) GOALTENDER @ICappeI (26GP, 23W, 83.06SV%, 1.23GAA, 7SO) vs @Supreex (30GP, 16W, 80.96SV%, 2.23GAA, 4SO) We almost had a scare in round 1 as Linkoping didn’t run over Symphony as expected, but the underdogs more than held their own, keeping the games very close from start to finish. The Symphony joy was cut short quickly after LHC managed to get their bearings straight and rolled on to a 4-2 series win. On the other hand, Lulea didn’t have an easy first round either. Having played a mid-table matchup against Roots, they have surely been battle tested and meeting such a tough opponent might have been just what they needed heading into their biggest challenge yet in this semifinal matchup against Linkoping. In the regular season head-to-head, Linkoping pulled the longer straw of these two by securing a W in both games. The first ended 1-0 in OT with @jtorro1233 being the lone scorer whereas the second game saw a bit more offense in the form of a 5-2 LHC win. @Eki and @ICappeI from Linkoping chime in on their feelings about getting back to playing and some thoughts on the other matchup: "Excited to continue the playoffs after a little Christmas break and of course play against another eSHL team in Lulea. Lulea is a group of really experienced guys and their team is familiar to us. I'm really confident in our team though and I'm expecting a step up from Round 1. Can't wait to get the games started and play for the spot in the Final!" - @Eki " "HAVU are the favourites to win. Since @Buantso joined them they have won everything. He's the difference maker in their team and I'm sure he'll find a way to help his team to the finals. We also have to remember that HAVU have struggled a lot against Butterfly both in the regular season and in IS Cup 4. I know that @jergelii is hungry for success and I hope that the rest of his team is as hungry for it as him. It's going to be a great battle to watch." - @ICappeI Lulea defenseman @The_Alpha_Furyan on their upcoming matchup: "Well, it is no secret we're going in as the underdog. The top three teams during the regular season (Linköping, Havu, Butterfly) kind of separated themselves from the pack during the season and proved themselves by also advancing to the semifinals, so for all intents and purposes we are definitely "the 4th team" among these four squads. That said, we feel like we can compete with anyone on our best day. We just have to make sure we have multiple "best days" during this series. If we are going to win it's going to have to be a team effort every step of the way. Communication between forwards, defenders and goaltender will need to be active and accurate, and we will need to minimize mistakes and maintain proper positioning. @Eki, @Juunas and @PleeMaker is arguably the best forward line in the world right now so as a defender you definitely get fired up to take on that challenge." (2) HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect (3) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 26-2-2 vs 24-4-2 TOP SCORER @FlyerKungen (36+25=61) vs @NikkeDangles (26+44=70) GOALTENDER @Hansulinho (16GP, 15W, 92.62SV%, 0.56GAA, 9SO) vs @sibeelius (24GP, 20W, 82.37SV%, 1.91GAA, 5SO) HAVU Gaming has been one of the most consistent performers for such a long time already, seemingly racking up championships on end. These two rivals have ran into each other at various points of their three last tournaments (Spring League, FCL and IS Cup 4). All three encounters have ended in a HAVU victory, but the most recent one at GameXpo (the IS Cup 4 semifinals) was a close one, where Butterfly Effect were buzzing and ended up just one converted breakaway chance short of stealing the series in a game seven. With that being said, this one is turning into a real classic rivalry and we should be in for a good one. Butterfly Effect actually won both regular season games between these two, putting the competitive record in NHL 20 between these two clubs at 5-4 (including IS Cup 4 semifinals) in favour of FLY. HAVU Gaming captain @FlyerKungen on their upcoming matchup and previous clashes against Butterfly Effect: "My thoughts are kind of the same as before the FCL and IS Cup semifinals when we faced them earlier. They are group of skilled guys and we need to be in top form if we want to beat them. Butterfly has only become a tougher opponent tournament by tournament which means we need to improve our game also. We can't expect to beat them in the playoffs if we only play at our base level, time to elevate that. In my experience, regular season games never play a big role in the playoffs. The game is so different in the playoffs, in the regular season you only practice and hopefully you learn from your mistakes so you are ready to compete in the playoffs. The only thing I believe can matter mentally at this point are the previous Playoff series we have played against Butterfly." @jergelii from Butterfly Effect had some comments on how they are going to beat HAVU and why their team is the one to watch going forward: "Of course our regular season wins will play a big role for us. We have struggled against HAVU but last IS Cup semifinals and those regular season games give us more confidence and now we really know we can in fact beat them. We are going to be champs because our playing style is so different compared to other teams, we have lot of ways to score goals and a tight defence with a great goalie." Today is the first game day of the semifinals and we are as excited about it as you guys are! Stay tuned for stream announcements on our social media channels. Who do you think will win and advance to the finals?

NHLGamers, The playoffs are rolling on and our biggest division team-wise, Lite is now in the second round stage. The second round of the ECL 9 Lite playoffs will start tonight on Sunday, December 29th and will go on until Monday, January 6th. From this point on, advancing teams will be seeded according to PPG. Here is the schedule of the ECL 9 Lite playoffs from now on: Playoffs Round 1: 16.12 - 23.12 Playoffs Round 2: 29.12 - 6.1 Quarterfinals: 8.1 - 15.1 Semifinals: 17.1 - 24.1 Finals: 26.1 - 2.2 Every series is played in a best of seven-manner, meaning that the first team to amass four victories will advance. Here are the matchups for round 2 of the ECL 9 Lite Playoffs: (2.) Mockba vs. Carolus Icemen (32.) (3.) Riven Johdolla vs. AfroDunk (24.) (4.) Clumsy Penguins vs. Sack Brothers (20.) (5.) HUIPPUPASSI vs. Hokurit (19.) (6.) Rookie Mistakes vs. Kaukosen Luistin (16.) (7.) Sulkavan Sudet vs. WEREWOLVES HC (15.) (8.) Company of Geeks vs. Syntax Error (12.) (10.) Kouvola Screaming Eagles vs. Breakers Of The Bone (11.) Good luck out there, as always - play hard and have fun!

NHLGamers, It’s playoff time and Sunday, December 29th marks the start of the first playoff round of ECL 9 Pro! As usual, for the first round of playoffs, teams in both groups will be cross-seeded best against worst according to the tiebreakers recapped below: Here's how the playoffs of ECL 9 Pro will be played: Playoffs Round 1: 29.12 - 6.1 Quarterfinals: 8.1 - 15.1 Semifinals: 17.1 - 24.1 Finals: 26.1 - 2.2 All series are played in best-of-7 manner, meaning that the first team to amass four victories advances to the next round. Here are your matchups for the first round of the ECL 9 Pro Playoffs: (1) Vesa Pompa HC vs ZSC Lions (8) (1) Delusion vs Pata Hellalla (8) (2) GHETTO FIREBIRDS vs Sandstorm (7) (2) Gotham Knights vs Cheers Hockey (7) (3) Nordic Stars vs Black Horse (6) (3) Kaupallinen Yhteistyo vs Me Carvoset (6) (4) Children of Ice vs Reality Check (5) (4) Vaxjo Lakers HC vs Virtual Horizons eSports (5) After the first round, all teams will be reseeded according to PPG. Good luck out there, as always - play hard and have fun!

NHLGamers, It’s playoff time and Monday, December 16th marks the start of the first playoff round of ECL 9 Elite! We’ve got the eight best teams in Europe left and each one of those are extremely anxious to get their hands on the trophy and the largest share of the 5 000 € prize pool. Here's how the playoffs of ECL 9 Elite will be played: Quarterfinals: 16.12 - 22.12 Semifinals: 30.12 - 5.1 Finals: 11.1 (To be confirmed) All series are played in best-of-7 manner, meaning that the first team to amass four victories advances to the next round. Without further ado, let's get into the previews: (1) Linkoping HC vs Symphony (8) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 27-2-1 vs 14-14-2 TOP SCORER @Eki (32+52=84) vs @Nieppii (15+25=40) GOALTENDER @ICappeI (26GP, 23W, 83.06SV%, 1.23GAA, 7SO) vs @Lauri (30GP, 14W, 78.49SV%, 2.10GAA, 3SO) The newly announced FILA turned Linköping is a powerhouse for sure and is expected to run over Symphony, who have struggled mightily this season. @Eki won the scoring title of the regular season (32+52=84) and @PleeMaker on the other LHC flank came in second (34+37=71) so the firepower here is not to be doubted. Linköping in general seemed to cruise through the regular season but don’t read me wrong on that one - they had their struggles from time to time. Despite walking away with victories in a majority of their games, they dropped points and ended up in tight battles with several underperformers like BRAYCE Phantoms and Almost Famous, so there have been some fluctuation in their form. It is expected that the new colors and organisation backing them will give something of a boost to the squad but also bring some pressure. It remains to see how this affects these guys. Symphony on the other end haven’t had a cakewalk this season. They are a group that’s used to success, but the team hasn’t seemed to be able to recover from losing the trio @iilmarii, @Joukki and @Beniittto to Delusion. IS Cup 4 was a decent showing as the team barely missed the final event at GameXpo, but ECL 9 has been a struggle all season long as it’s been hard for the team to find the consistency that they need. On top of that, Symphony is heading into the playoffs with a five game losing streak having lost to Unlucky Boys, HAVU Gaming and Almost Famous in that timespan. Although Symphony hasn’t been too convincing so far this season, they should absolutely not be counted out of the race just yet. Mainly the looks will be turning towards captain @indi969 and centerman @tbnantti to strap the team on their backs and lead the way going forward. (2) HAVU Gaming vs Miracle (7) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 26-2-2 vs 12-11-7 TOP SCORER @FlyerKungen (36+25=61) vs @Artuzio (20+23=43) GOALTENDER @Hansulinho (16GP, 15W, 92.62SV%, 0.56GAA, 9SO) vs @PCJP (10GP, 4W, 82.23SV%, 2.70GAA, 1SO) If LHC are perhaps a slight unknown due to the impact of an organisation now backing them, then the players for HAVU Gaming will be going into this series against Miracle as though it is business as usual. With a roster untouched (as far as starters go), one could not be mistaken for thinking that HAVU look poised to become the first team in ECL history to win back-to-back titles. Although their path to that point will be anything but easy, their opponent in Miracle is looking like the perfect opponent to face, thanks in part to their subpar defence (3rd most goals conceded) which should allow HAVU to flex their offensive muscles and dictate the game with relative ease. Something that Miracle will have to be wary of as HAVU were only beaten four times this season, with three of those losses coming from them either being held off the scoreboard (0-2, 0-1), or only being able to score once (1-2 OT). Therefore, if Miracle looks to stand a chance of progressing, then they will have to insulate their chosen goalie as much as they can and hope they can steal a goal or two along the way, failing this the odds look fairly weak for Miracle to make this series competitive. Although that said, HAVU have seemingly made a habit of keeping games closer than they perhaps should have been throughout the season thus far, so it is perhaps not completely out of the realm of possibility that Miracle can steal a game or two providing they play exceptionally solid defence and do not hand HAVU any free chances. Regardless, this is HAVUs series to lose at this point, and you would have long odds on Miracle finding a way to win more than two games over the course of this best-of-seven, much I’m sure to the chagrin of Miracle’s captain @Zip player. (3) Butterfly Effect vs Unlucky Boys HC (6) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 24-4-2 vs 14-10-6 TOP SCORER @NikkeDangles (26+44=70) vs @Anhel (24+24=48) GOALTENDER @sibeelius (24GP, 20W, 82.37SV%, 1.91GAA, 5SO) vs @Viltzup (30GP, 14W, 81.10SV%, 2.16GAA, 5SO) Butterfly Effect is one of the most exciting teams in the Elite division currently, with an impressive outing being a mere breakaway conversion short of a final spot there and now finishing third in the regular season they have finally proved that they belong in the discussion of top teams in the European community. They have reached their current level by great individual development but also acting on the transfer market as they see fit. During the summer break the youngster @NikkeDangles was acquired and apparently the kid has now caught fire - leading his team and amassing 70 points in the regular season. Another important signing is @sibeelius - the accomplished former FILADELPHIA backstopper, who joined the team a few weeks back increasing their defensive potential and helping them prove their contender status. The opposing team Unlucky Boys are already veterans of ECL Elite and they have enough experience to put up a fight against any opponent in the playoffs, so viewers are in for a treat with this matchup to be watched. Last season UB made questionable history, being the first ECL Elite team ever to retain their Elite spot in a relegation battle, but by seeding 6th into the playoffs this season, captain @Anhel has surely proven that his team is able to bounce back. Make no mistake - The Unlucky Boys aren't done yet! In the regular season, Butterfly Effect managed to win both games. The playoffs are a different beast, so we're expecting a tight battle and UB to steal at least one win. Look for a 5-6 game series ending in a FLY win. (4) Roots vs Lulea Hockey (5) REGULAR SEASON RECORD 17-10-3 vs 16-11-3 TOP SCORER @keranee (15+24=39) vs @hpkfani (23+14=37) GOALTENDER @swagx88 (28GP, 16W, 83.42SV%, 2.14GAA, 3SO) vs @Supreex (30GP, 16W, 80.96SV%, 2.23GAA, 4SO) Roots is a squad that has been playing together for quite some time already and doing so with improving results. Their game is based largely on fast passing motored by experienced centerman @SadaPoika who is flanked by goal-scoring machine @Lamsa and the highly talented @keranee. It’s been no surprise that goaltender @swagx88 has been solid and is among the top of the pack measured in save percentage (83.42%). The season so far for Roots has been decent. Most of their statistics don’t tell a pretty tale, but they’ve been able to win games by being disciplined and converting on their high-percentage chances. Roots is the least scoring team out of all playoff teams and has also struggled in the face-off circle being the worst in that category too. On top of that, their powerplay lies at a measly 9,5% success rate. If the team is looking for a deep playoff run, these are the areas that need to be cleaned up. These two teams are no strangers to each other. During a small hiatus of the former Northern Ascendancy, a fusion between them and the also former Rusty Blades existed in which Lulea players @The_Alpha_Furyan and @MartindalexC sported the same colors as the now Roots players @Lamsa and @Tanski87. That’s an interesting factor going into this matchup and will surely bring a bit of spice and rivalry spirit to the games. Statistically, Lulea is almost exactly similar to Roots, as they too have had some trouble scoring and issues on their powerplay. What sets the two teams apart though is the somewhat wider arsenal that Lulea has in terms of offensive firepower. Whereas @keranee and @Lamsa will be the players to look for scoring from on the Roots end, Lulea has a highly capable offensive trio backed by @The_Alpha_Furyan who is a real offensive threat at his best too. This matchup is expected to be a nail-biter and it might come down to the very last games in the series to determine a winner here. Stay tuned for announcements about the games on our social media channels, playoff matchups will be broadcasted on our Twitch channel as usual. As always, play hard and see you guys out on the ice! The ECL Elite writing team, @MartindalexC, @Serg1vratar & @jahajaha93

NHLGamers, We’re closing in on the eSHL season and are about one month away from puckdrop and with that the time has come to announce yet another participating team. Linköping HC hails from the south of Sweden and has signed the very prestigious roster of FILADELPHIA. The team is regarded mostly as a Finnish group but their roster actually holds two Swedes as Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen and the newest acquisition Casper @ICappeI Lundgren are sporting their colors. This acquisition raises the stakes significantly and is a great boost to the competitiveness of the entire league, as the former FILADELPHIA dominated the game in several ways during NHL 19 and has continued staying at the top in NHL 20 despite not quite reaching similar levels of success. Their star studded offense certainly needs no introductions with multi-champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää flanking the right side, “Mr. Selke” Joonas @Juunas Paatiala centering and the prodigal son turned seasoned and decorated veteran Paul @PleeMaker Arontie on the left. This trio will look to continue wreaking havoc now in the fresh colors of Linköping HC. "This acquisition shows that we mean business when entering the esports scene. We truly want our team to compete at the top level and show up when the brightest trophies are being dealt. There's no doubt that Casper together with his team will represent the LHC lion with pride and lead the way for our entry into esports", says Michael Sturehed, marketing manager at Linköping Hockey Club. Linköping Hockey Club roster: GOALTENDER #72 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 🇸🇪 DEFENSEMEN #27 Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta 🇫🇮 #40 Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen 🇸🇪 #88 Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta 🇫🇮 FORWARDS #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää 🇫🇮 #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie 🇫🇮 #86 Joonas @Juunas Paatiala 🇫🇮 The newest face in the team is also a very experienced player and is one of the most highly regarded Swedish talents playing the game currently. Goaltender Cappe joined the team on September 17th and has been as solid as ever in his new jersey since the transfer. Cappe was also one of the main facilitators in signing with Linköping, so we caught up with him for a chat about the situation: What was it about Linköping that enticed you the most? Ever since our first contact, Linköping impressed us with their attitude towards esports and their ambitions with this project. They sold the idea that this project will be a big part of the club and the LHC family going forward. We're also very honored to be representing a club with a great history of developing talented players and outstanding individuals. Despite you and Torro representing the club, FILADELPHIA is generelly regarded as a Finnish team. Were you set on participating in eSHL right froom the get go? Most definitely. As soon as information about the eSHL reached us, we made a decision to reach out to some teams and enquire about their interests. Sweden isn't that heavily represented at the top of the European standings, so we felt that we are in a great spot going into the negotiations. In my opinion it's interesting to see teams like for example Luleå, with varying nationalities competing at the top. You recently assumed the role as the number one goalkeeper of FILADELPHIA after a long watch under the duo @sibeelius & @FinKonna. How has playing for you new team felt and was the transfer something that was planned long ahead? The transfer discussions happened rather quickly after our run in IS Cup 4. Sibe and Konna surely left me some big boots to fill, but I feel we've been doing great and the boys are making it comfortable to play behind them. Since day one, I've felt very welcome and a part of the team. It's not hard to feel right at home with a captain like @Juunas, what a great guy he is! The new league must be something of a dream come true for a Swedish competitive player. How does it feel to be one of the very best domestic talents in the league and what kind of goals have you set personally for the upcoming season? It's something we've been dreaming about for sure. Personally, I'm going to do everything in my power to win every game I play. I've got a winning mentality and losing is the absolute worst thing I know. As a team we're incredibly hyped about eSHL and will obviously be looking to put a trophy on the shelf at the end of the season. Currently the team stands second in the regular season of ECL 9 Elite and will be playing their last two games tonight against Luleå Hockey. Linköping has a chance to overtake their sweet rival HAVU Gaming for a number one seed going into the playoffs whereas Luleå is looking to secure a favorable matchup for their first round opponent. At the time of posting this article, you can head over to twitch.tv/I_Eki_I or twitch.tv/luleahockeyto watch the game.

NHLGamers, We’re pleased to be bringing you your next eSHL team, which is going to be Leksands IF who have signed the roster of former Synergy Hockey. Kim “DraySWE” Larsson is the man put in place to recruit the team and he will be acting as a manager of sorts for them too. He is an accomplished Dota player and caster, and has also made a name for himself as an event host, which he has transitioned to full time. I had a short chat with the man about their team and their new investment into esports: What did you find so interesting about Synergy in particular? “The routine that they’ve amassed during all their years of play. That and the fact that they’ve managed to maintain a high level of competition throughout their history.” Kim says that they had a vision of what kind of team they wanted to recruit, and Synergy fit that mold very well: “NHL is currently a rather marginal esport, so you’d imagine that the criteria can’t be all too strict. However, after taking a look at the situation around Sweden, we realized the potential and set expectations to recruit experienced players with passion for the game and their club. We wanted a stable team who could put up a fight against most opponents on any given night. On top of that, our guys have a very positive vibe and a good attitude that makes me extra happy.” What does this esports endeavor look like for Leksands IF - do you already have future plans? “I like the attitude that Leksands IF has towards esports in general. They are eagerly diving into new things and aren’t afraid to innovate. I guess we’ll know more after the first eSHL season, so get back to me on that later. The overall feeling is definitely very positive!" Synergy Hockey is one of the most long-lived clubs in the NHL esports scene and have remained a rather successful bunch ever since the team was put together in the fall of 2010 and that surely shows the experience and long-term success that was talked about. Most players have been part of the team for their whole careers with very few exceptions. The team is nowadays known as a strong defensive unit that due to their chemistry built along the years can surprise any team with impressive passing plays. Here is the roster of Leksands IF: We also caught up with captain William @Mumsi- Lindblad and assistant captain Jonas @Supremski Söderlund for some comments about their new colors: @Mumsi-: "Representing an SHL team had been in the talks within the team for quite some time already, of course under the right circumstances. It was a big surprise when Leksand contacted us, however. They told us that they were looking for a team to represent them in the eSHL and that they’ve been keeping tabs on us for a while. They were very clear about the fact that we were the ones they wanted to sign. There was a mutual interest so no we quickly got into negotiating with Dray (Kim Larsson) who came off as a real professional. We clicked very well and things have taken off from there." "Our left winger Calle @Smutto Hjul has a special bond to Leksand in the form that he's a passionate fan of the team. That's been valuable for us as he's been running errands with the club for us.", says captain Mumsi. @Supremski: "I'll add that it was very important for us to sign with a team that really wanted our team to represent them. We weren't going to jump on any offer we got on the table. When Leksand and Kim approached us, they made a very good impression and our discussions revealed that we were very much on the same page. We've been sporting the Synergy colors for so long now, that we wanted to make sure we get it 100% right when we were going to sign." The transition from Synergy Hockey to Leksands IF will be happening immediately and the change will also take effect in the ongoing ECL Elite season. We wish the best of luck to the team and hope to see great things from them in the future!

NHLGamers, We’ve started the NHL 20 season strong but it’s time to ramp up the heat. We’ve been plotting behind the scenes for quite some time now and so, without further ado, we are extremely proud to announce that, in cooperation with the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Aftonbladet and Area Academy, we will be launching the eSHL starting January 13th, 2020. “This is truly an exciting venture for both us and our clubs as we’ll be expanding our product range while having the opportunity to reach a completely new audience”, says Michael Marchal, CEO of SHL. The official broadcasting partner for the eSHL will be Aftonbladet, the biggest daily newspaper in Sweden with close to 4 million daily readers/viewers. A live studio broadcast will be hosted twice a week by Aftonbladet and all other games will be streamed on the Twitch channels of the respective teams, with the occasional matchup featured in an NHLGamer Twitch broadcast. Aftonbladet will also serve as one of the main news outlets for the eSHL for the duration of the season. The eSHL will act as a virtual counterpart to the current SHL, where teams will play each other in a league format of 6v6 EASHL. The regular season will start on January 13th and end in February. While other major professional hockey leagues around the world have slowly begun turning their eyes towards esports, the eSHL stands out in that it is a sanctioned, organized league played in the 6v6 format - something completely unparalleled in NHL esports up until this point. “The most successful esports worldwide are already team-based, not to mention the strong synergy that exists between real hockey and the EASHL mode where all six players on the ice need to work as a unit in order to win”, says Linus @KAWAIIII Eklund, Project manager at SHL. To Eklund, partnering with NHLGamer for eSHL was the obvious choice: “With their many years of experience hosting leagues within the EA SPORTS NHL series, NHLGamer made for a perfect fit as our league partner as we set out to create the eSHL. I have plenty of experience when it comes to competitive gaming, including the NHL series, and could tell NHLGamer had built things the right way, developing a community and a professional environment within an esport that didn’t really exist a few years ago.“ “Kenneth (Lehtinen - @Kenu ) has been an incredible resource for us when setting up this league and we look forward to working with him and NHLGamer to make this league reach its full potential.” As NHLGamer members have surely noticed, a number of SHL teams like Växjö Lakers, Färjestad BK and Luleå Hockey already announced their EA Sports NHL rosters in recent months - announcements that have all been leading up to this project. As things currently stand, a vast majority of the 14 current SHL clubs will be participating in the eSHL. Rögle BK and HV71 are currently openly recruiting teams and players, others have not spoken out about their situation yet. This is what the list of teams looks like currently: Färjestad BK HV71 IK Oskarshamn Leksands IF Linköping HC Luleå Hockey Malmö Redhawks Rögle BK Skellefteå AIK Växjö Lakers Örebro Hockey All of the league action and standings can be followed at e.shl.se which will be going live in mid-December. Follow eSHL on their social media channels Twitter - eSHLse Instagram - eSHL_se About SHL Svenska Hockeyligan or the Swedish Hockey League is the highest tier of professional hockey in Sweden and also regarded as one of the best European hockey leagues. It was formerly known as Elitserien but renamed in 2013. The league consists of 14 teams who are competing for the Le Mat Trophy. Read SHL’s story in Swedish here

NHLGamers, It's been a week since the IS Cup 4 finals action kicked off at GameXpo in Messukeskus of Helsinki. We had a blast and hope you had too! Looking back at it, we're happy to have provided another successful event and are extremely grateful for having the possibility to do so in cooperation with our great partners at Ilta-Sanomat, Prisma Gaming, Alpro and PlayStation. Now the medals have been dealt and we're looking on to the next one, but in the meantime let's enjoy this look back at what this iteration of IS Cup entailed. We started off in mid October with a strict schedule which we are extremely happy that all teams managed to follow. With a total of 73 teams signed up this year, we're excited to have doubled the amount of signups from IS Cup 3, thank you for that! Although the IS Cup as a tournament holds some world class talent it is surely a great playing field also for new players to match up against the very best at the game. We're also very happy about the fact that we were able to make the tournament available for teams of other than Finnish nationality this year, and with that being said we had a great turnout of other European teams too with the Swedes leading the way. These were the groups that we went into the intensive group stage of IS Cup 4 with: Out of the 7-8 teams in each group, three teams and an additional top two based on PPG out of all groups were advancing to the playoffs. This made for a battle of 32 teams in the playoffs, where we were left with a bunch of highly motivated players looking for a spot in the bright lights of GameXpo and the IS Cup 4 Final event. These were the matchups for our playoffs round 1 in IS Cup 4: Round one ended up being a formality for several teams as juggernauts such as HAVU Gaming, FILADELPHIA or Symphony plowed through their opposing teams in fashionable manner, showcasing their overwhelming offensive prowess and Elite level experience. On the other hand, we had a few tight battles, mainly the one between POGGERS and BRAYCE Phantoms, where a well performing and seemingly rejuvenated POGGERS managed to outplay the usually very convingin and methodical german team in the maximum five games of the series. A bit of a surprise was also caused by Reality Check as they put the last nail into Dynastys coffin and sent them on a hiatus of undetermined duration. The biggest upset of the first round was seen by Växjö Lakers HC, as they beat Swedish rival Synergy in three straight games. Synergy had managed to win their group and also won both group stage games against Växjö. Oh well, moving on! Round 2 was played between Thursday, October 31st and Sunday, November 3rd. These were the matchups: The second round continued in a rather similar manner than the first one, where the favourites seemed to prevail and doing so in a convincing way. Between all series, the advancing teams only gave up a total of five games, and these wins were seen by Raccoon Rampage (2), Unlucky Boys HC (1) and Bucketeers (2). The matchup to watch in this round was definitely Bucketeers going up against Roots. We saw two tremendously skilled teams going head to head. the Swedes going into the battle with a better seed and therefore the home ice advantage. In advance, these teams are of similar caliber and looked very well matched on paper, the games were unconventional in the way that the usually defensive Bucketeers often dominated in possession, but couldn't seem to utilize their chances whereas Roots didn't run into similar scoring trouble. The games determining who was going to GameXpo were the quarterfinals, the matchups being as follows: At this point of the tournament, there are no heavy favourites going into matchups and all teams should be capable of advancing. However, we still witnessed a great deal of separation in some matchups. HAVU Gaming, Delusion and FILADELPHIA saw no match in their opponents and managed to punch their GameXpo tickets rather quickly by stringing together three victories in no time. The games to watch here were between Symphony and Butterfly Effect who actually are old acquaintances from the FCL 6vs6 final event at Assembly Summer. That time, these two were seen going head-to-head in a bronze game which ended 1-3 in favour of FLY. Maybe they had a mental advantage going into these quarterfinals too? We ended up seeing a rather low scoring series in which the turning point was the only exception as both teams put up four markers in regulation of game three. The series was tied at this point and Symphony had a great flow going into overtime after equalizing just four seconds before the final buzzer. The battle went on for around 15 minutes in OT before @Vilupoika finally found the twine and pushed his Butterly Effect to being the fourth team going to GameXpo. With the finals starting, we could offer standing room only as a great amount of people showed up to watch. With that, we have arrived at GameXpo and were left with four teams going into the weekend, all aspiring to be the ones hoisting our beautiful IS Cup 4 trophy late on Saturday evening. (1) HAVU Gaming vs Butterfly Effect (6) By having the highest seed going into the finals, HAVU Gaming got to start their games in a later matchup against Butterly Effect. These two teams are very familiar with each other by now, having matched up in the FCL Semifinals at Assembly Summer in August and our Spring League Finals just a few weeks prior to that. In each of these prior games, HAVU had managed to keep FLY away from winning even one, so that surely set up an interesting scenario going into this matchup. This time around, Butterfly Effect came out swinging as it frankly seemed like HAVU wasn't ready to play to start off game one of the series. FLY scored three straight and it looked like they were to run away with game one before it even started, but HAVU did HAVU things and mounted a comeback to eventually win a high scoring first game 6-4. After this, we went back to some more traditional games and HAVU started looking way better by winning the second game. This is where it got tricky as there was a longer break in the schedule and the teams had to wait around for a while. The break seemed to work wonders for FLY as they were once again rejuvenated and ready to play, whereas HAVU's play didn't look familiar at all in the evening. Goaltender @Hansulinho speculated that the team dinner at Hesburger prior to the evening games was their near fatal mistake. Despite not reaching up to their fabled level of play and losing game 3 to put them in a chokehold, HAVU managed to grind out two more victories against Butterfly Effect and go through to the finals once again! Series score: 3-2 HAVU Gaming Possibly the biggest goal of the series was when HAVU Gaming tied game 4 at 2 late in the 2nd period. By winning, FLY would have advanced. (2) Delusion vs FILADELPHIA (5) Delusion and FILADELPHIA kicked off our Friday at around 13:00 CET. @ICappeI had flown in from his native Sweden and made it on time despite some rumoured troubles and the opposing FILA squad showed up all smiles after some successful team bonding the night before. The very decisive factor of this matchup was going to be if the experience of FILA would prevail against a less experienced but undoubtedly very hungry Delusion squad. A bit of nervosity was perhaps showing with Delusion as the series started and left winger @Joukki almost immediately found himself in the sin bin as the result of a questionable hit on a player outside the play. FILADELPHIA didn't wait around and instantly took advantage of the mistake, this being the only marker and the last mentionable event in the first game of our IS Cup 4 final event. Delusion showed up big in the second game, though. We saw a totally new squad that had found their flow and gotten comfortable in their seats at the big stage. About midway through the second game, @loimmu of FILADELPHIA found himself being assigned a five-minute major for boarding during which Delusion scored twice to take a decisive advantage in the second game. After two games, the teams were scheduled for a bread which could have benefitted FILA, as Delusion was just finding their stride on the live stage. After the break it seems like Delusion had only ramped up the heat as their comms were loud and clear even so that the front row was hearing callouts and the positive attitude of the players was visible to everyone around. Their flow seemed unstoppable and that's what we got to witness as Delusion managed to win two more and punch their ticket to the finals. Series score: 3-2 Delusion Delusion LW @Joukki definitely found his stride after the break and as a result put up some incredible individual efforts, one of them looked like this: BRONZE GAMES: (5) FILADELPHIA vs Butterfly Effect (6) To start off Saturday we saw the bronze battle between FILADELPHIA and Butterly Effect. It was truly a pleasure to see that both teams had came to play and din't give an inch even though they were playing for bronze. FLY managed to win the first game, but eventually FILADELPHIA turned things around just in time and prevailed by winning games two and three. Butterfly Effect wasn't far from a final spot, but this time ended up finishing 4th. FILADELPHIA showed up to play last weekend, but this time they ran into very strong competition. FINALS: (1) HAVU Gaming vs Delusion (2) Oh boy, what a treat we were in for with this one. HAVU captain @FlyerKungen mentioned that it's refreshing to see new teams pushing deep in the playoffs and making these final appearances as we can all agree that although seeing HAVU and FILA go at each other for extended periods of time was fun, Delusion was a very welcomed acquaintance in this matchup. The finals were played in a best of 7 manner in contrast to the rest of the playoffs, which was only best of 5. In big games like this, it's only right to have the maximum amount of hockey being played. That was exactly what HAVU and Delusion were thinking too. HAVU seemed to have learned from their mistakes on Friday and were back to playing their own, fast offense and stringing together some beautiful passing plays whereas Delusion hadn't forgotten about what got them to this place in the first place, we could still see the joy on the players faces and how excited the boys were about this opportunity. What we were treated to in the finals was a rather traditional best of 7 showcase in the sense that neither team scored too much and both goaltenders stood tall in net. Our goaltender expert @TheCreasePolice noted the correlation between goaltender success and heavy facial hair growth as both @Hansulinho and @ICappeI have a certain resemblance to Chewbacca. We mentioned a low scoring series but there were two exceptions, though. HAVU Gaming really came out strong in the first one and managed to get Delusion on their heels when captain @FlyerKungen scored a natural hat trick and @willekunq added an insurance maker at the end. All this while keeping Delusion off the board entirely. A seemingly weak start didn't phase Delusion though, as from there on out both teams traded victories in 1-3 goal games. The next explosion was again seen by HAVU in game 5 as they scored five consecutive goals while again shutting down Delusion entirely but once again, Delusion wasn't phased and won the next one sending us to a game seven. Last year, FILADELPHIA and the former Written In The Stars started the game seven tradition in the IS Cup finals, and this year it was continued by HAVU and Delusion. It's always a pleasure to see two teams going all the way into a decisive final game for all the marbles. There's usually a certain format that these games follow and it was partially the case this time around too, only the scoreboard looked unconventional as a total of 6 goals were put up in a battle that was mainly fought on center ice. In the end, @Dominointi, who manages to open the scoring and close it off for his HAVU Gaming ends up being the difference maker and pushes his team to an IS Cup 4 Championship. Delusion was on a roll all weekend and you could really see how pumped up the guys were to be in the finals. The boys are back in their winning ways! Pictures by Kirsty Meek 📷 Find the full album here. Once again, congratulations to our champions HAVU Gaming and all other participants. Thank you all for making this yet another great experience and stay tuned for more to come!

NHLGamers, Below is the complete list of the teams participating in our Neo division this season and in which groups they will play. ECL 9 Neo - 4 Groups ECL Neo will be played in four groups consisting of 8-9 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in a 14-16 game regular season for each team in which the top 4 teams out of every group will go to the playoffs (16 teams in total). Please note that due to Group 1 having an extra team and thus an uneven number of teams, we've added a double-header for most teams in group 1 on Wednesday 27th of November. You are free to move these games to another time in mutual agreement with your opponents - just remember the last day of the regular season is the 15th of December. Group 1: Augsburg Panther Detroit Big Hinks Mustangs Olympia Tanssii TuhtienKansa THE MIGHTY SKUNKS Titan HC United Ryminae Varissuon Toverit Group 2: Bauer Rangers GmbH EIS Force Hockey HC KOROBKA Kuutamokiekko Motherfreakerz Russian Lightning Surte Sisu HC Team HulluPullo Group 3: Bonusambers Dompa Poppers Fat Burritos Fire Knights HC BISONS Seinajoki Noms SUNTRIP Uudenmaan Oilers Group 4: Czechoslovak Legends Eliel Kings HC Kotiin KulmalaHengaus Made in Russia MAD Knogmackers HC Oulunsalon Pallo ZG ICE Tigers Playoffs A total of 16 teams will make the playoffs The top 4 teams from each group will progress to the playoffs Playoff Seeding Group winners are seeded #1-4 Group runners-up #5-8 Teams that finished 3rd #9-12 Teams that finished 4th #13-16 The seeding of the teams within these levels will be decided using the usual tiebreakers, found in the ECL 9 rulebook section 11.3. Season schedule: Regular season: 20.11-15.12 Round 1: 16.-22.12 Quarterfinals: 30.12-5.1 Semifinals: 7.-13.1 Finals: 15.-21.1 Team management tools All teams have been created, the team management tools on the main page have been unlocked for the team captains* (find the Team Tools dropdown in the top right corner of the menu). All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of your first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on the main page for them) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing! * Some team captains are being fixed in the morning and may currently be displaying legacy information. ** Due to the number of new logos - it may take a while before your logo is updated. Please be patient for a couple of days before asking if you already submitted your logo. Please find the schedule here. Have fun and see you on the ice!

NHLGamers, We had an astonishing number of teams sign up for ECL Lite this season and while we had originally planned to cap it at 48 teams, we decided to raise the number to 64. The teams that ended up outside these 64 teams and the teams that signed up for ECL Neo will play in ECL Neo during the ECL 9 season. We will go into more depth about that division in our next news story in just a moment. Below is the complete list of the teams participating in our Lite division this season and in which groups they will play. ECL 9 Lite - 6 Groups ECL Lite will be played in six groups consisting of 10-11 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in a 18-20 game regular season. A total of 32 teams will make the playoffs. Group 1: Ace Holes Angry Cats Bockens Hokurit Hundred Acre Wood Kouvola Screaming Eagles Latrodectus Mactans Pahat Pommittajat Polarbears HC Riven Johdolla Rosvosektori Group 2: 5th Line Heroes Carolus Icemen Clumsy Penguins Dead Presidents EV Duisburg Niederrhein Canucks Powerhouse Hockey Sack Brothers Sulkavan Sudet WEREWOLVES HC Western Express Group 3: Black Tigers Charleswood Chiefs Clowns On Ice Company of Geeks HUIPPUPASSI Ice Aliens eSports Jortikan Tossut Finnish Hockey Legends Robbery Saucer Hockey Tsingis Khanes Group 4: Breakers Of The Bone DEG eSports Elamam Kiekko GREED HanaaHC Last Period Nordic Nosebleed Savo Bears Rusty Bulls Tarpion Pallo Taskubilis Group 5: Broken Ankles Ducktales BK EBR eSports Official Honis Kansanelakelaitos Kaukosen Luistin Lucky Strike Nearbird Fighters Rookie Mistakes Syntax Error Group 6: Afrodunk Eagle Town Hockey Infamous Kesäloma Murohoki MOCKBA Old Farts UKnighted HC Unknown Ice Breakers Virtuoso Playoffs A total of 32 teams will make the playoffs The top 5 teams from each group will progress to the playoffs Out of all the remaining teams across all groups, the top 2 based on PPG will be selected to advance. Playoff Seeding Group winners are seeded #1-6 Group runners-up #7-12 Teams that finished 3rd #13-18 Teams that finished 4th #19-24 Teams that finished 5th #25-30 Remaining teams with the highest PPG #31-32 The seeding of the teams within these levels will be decided using the usual tiebreakers, found in the ECL 9 rulebook section 11.3. Season schedule: Regular season: 19.11-15.12 Round 1: 16.-23.12 Round 2: 29.12-5.1 Quarterfinals: 7.-14.1 Semifinals: 16.-23.1 Finals: 25.1.-1.2. Team management tools All teams have been created, the team management tools on the main page have been unlocked for the team captains* (find the Team Tools dropdown in the top right corner of the menu). All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of your first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on the main page for them) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing! * Some team captains are being fixed in the morning and may currently be displaying legacy information. ** Due to the number of new logos - it may take a while before your logo is updated. Please be patient for a couple days before asking if you already submitted your logo. Please find the schedule here. Have fun and see you on the ice!

NHLGamers, It's time to kick off the ECL season for our Pro, Lite and Neo divisions this week. With that being on the agenda, there was a need for some promotions for vacant spots in ECL Pro. These vacant spots have been left by teams who have either disbanded or simply not signed up for ECL Pro in ECL 9. After promoting the expected four teams (Oton Letkutemppu, Vesa Pompa, Cheers Hockey & We Kings) at the end of the ECL 8 Lite season, a total of eleven spots were open in the division for this season, out of which two were filled with automatic promotions based on performance in ECL 8 Lite (Quarterfinal losers). The two teams promoted based on these criteria are Prowlers Esports (formerly Prowlers) and Virtual Horizons eSports (formerly Blackdawgs). After that, nine spots remained to be filled. The selection of teams receiving promotions has been made based on team history, previous merits and perception of skill and recent performance. Without further ado, here are your ECL 9 Pro groups (promoted teams in bold): Group 1: Cheers Hockey Children of Ice GHETTO FIREBIRDS HC Wildcard Horror Hockey Me Carvoset Nightmare Nordic Stars Oton Letkutemppu Pata Hellalla Resurrection Shooting Stars Silver Sword Griffins The Syndicate Vesa Pompa HC Virtual Horizons eSports Group 2: Alliance HT Bellizzi Black Horse Cowabunga Hockey Delusion Freddie Mercury Institute Gotham Knights Kaupallinen Yhteistyo Nordic Lightning Prowlers Esports Rakish Reality Check Sandstorm Vaxjo Lakers HC We Kings ZSC Lions The schedule has been generated and games will be ready to begin on the evening of Monday, 17th of November.

NHLGamers, What a weekend it's been at GameXpo and the IS Cup 4 finals! We were treated to the absolute maximum amount of games possible as all of the series were extended to the max three, five or seven games possible for each series. The reigning IS Cup Champion FILADELPHIA was dethroned, but the juggernaut HAVU Gaming went on racking up championships by adding the IS Cup to their trophy case. What a final series we had, it seemed like HAVU was going take it and run but Delusion put up an impressive fight. HAVU Gaming 🏆 Group stage record: 12-0-0 (1st) Round 1: vs We Kings 3-0 Round 2: vs Vaxjo Lakers HC 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs Roots 3-0 Semifinals: vs Butterfly Effect 3-2 Finals: vs Delusion XXX LW #6 Ilmari @Buantso Lehkonen C #13 Risto @Dominointi Järvi RW #91 Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha LD #78 Kristian-Mikael @Nassustelija Katajisto RD #43 Wille @willekunq Juntunen G #88 Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen Other players on roster: FWD Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola D Vesa @VesKuLiNe Voutilainen G Reittu @Roisto999 Hynynen Delusion 🥈 Group stage record: 14-0-0 (2nd) Round 1: vs Shooting Stars 3-0 Round 2: vs Reality Check 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 3-0 Semifinals: vs FILADELPHIA 3-2 LW #9 Joakim @Joukki Nyholm C #96 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen RW #21 Tuukka @Tuukka.R Röpelinen LD #82 Janne @Janzuh Nyqvist RD #63 Ilmari @Ilmari_30 Töyrylä G #25 Casper @ICappeI Lundgren Other players on roster: G Janne @JanneK. Komsa FILADELPHIA 🥉 Regular season record: 11-1-0 (5th) Round 1: vs Oton Letkutemppu 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs Vesa Pompa HC 3-0 Semifinals: vs TIKI TALK 3-0 Bronze Game: vs Butterfly Effect 2-1 LW #44 Paul @PleeMaker Arontie C #86 Joonas @Juunas Paatiala RW #25 Erik @Eki Tammenpää LD #40 Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen RD #7 Aleksi @vatalisti Loimuvirta G #8 Mika @FinKonna Paasinkontu Other players on roster: D Joonas @SUPERVIRTA Virta G Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos Butterfly Effect Regular season record: 11-1-0 (6th) Round 1: vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS 2-0 Quarterfinals: vs Unlucky Boys HC 2-0 Semifinals: vs HAVU Gaming 2-3 Bronze Game: vs FILADELPHIA 1-2 LW #89 Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen C #91 Jere @jergelii Jortama RW #23 Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen LD #27 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen RD #39 Ville-Petteri @vviljo Särmä G #92 Petri-Christian @PCJP Pelkonen Other players on roster: D Teemu @Xteemuz Polttila G Rami @ramseyy2 Rissanen We would like to extend a warm thank you to all participants and viewers, congratulations to HAVU Gaming on yet another championship! Stay tuned for a more detailed review and more soon!

NHLGamers, (1) HAVU Gaming vs Delusion (2) Group stage record: 12-0-0 Round 1: vs We Kings 3-0 Round 2: vs Vaxjo Lakers HC 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs Roots 3-0 Semifinals: vs Butterfly Effect 3-2 Top scorer (Playoffs): @Buantso 14GP, 12+24=36 (3rd) Goaltender (Playoffs): @Hansulinho 14GP, 12W, 79,62 SV%, 1,57 GAA, 3 SO (2nd) It was not a walk in the park type of outing for HAVU this time around. Friday started off with games one and two between HAVU Gaming and Butterfly Effect and boy, was that a show! The first game saw a total of ten goals being scored, among those some great plays and beautiful efforts, but we also have to make note of the fact that the goalies weren't quite ready for the barrage they faced early on. HAVU managed to dominate the first half of the series despite being down early in both game 1 and 2. The break during the day did wonders for the play of Butterfly Effect though, which gave HAVU some trouble. Be it fatigue or whatever, let's hope that's all gone by Saturday morning cause that's when the real big games start. @Hansulinho reads @jergelii perfectly and keeps HAVU's dreams alive late in game 5: Group stage record: 14-0-0 Round 1: vs Shooting Stars 3-0 Round 2: vs Reality Check 3-0 Quarterfinals: vs POGGERS 3-0 Semifinals: vs FILADELPHIA 3-2 Top scorer (Playoffs): @Joukki 14GP, 23+16=39 (1st) Goaltender (Playoffs): @ICappeI 14GP, 12W, 84,90 SV%, 1,14 GAA, 5 SO (1st) For the longest time it's seemed like no one could dethrone FILADELPHIA or HAVU Gaming, but maybe these long-time top teams have finally met their match in the form of Delusion. The semifinal matchup against FILA really showed what Delusion are made of as @Joukki scored several beautiful goals as a result of incredible individual efforts. Delusion seemed to enjoy the vibe at GameXpo and had an overall good buzz going all day long, as the guys cheered each other on and celebrated wildly (for Finns) when scoring goals. @Joukki does a well-timed spin move to equalize game 4: Having seen the games live and experiencing the great atmosphere surrounding Delusion at the event, they could be a strong candidate to overtake the throne this year. We knew the offensive power that these guys possess, but in the semifinals we also saw that they can shut down a high level opponent effectively. HAVU has been a top team for as long as some of us can remember and that's speaking volumes about what caliber of team they are. It is highly doubtful that we've seen all the tricks they have up their sleeve yet. A reborn and refueled HAVU is expected to show up Saturday morning, hungry for another title. Preliminary schedule for Saturday, 16th of November: 11.00 CET FILADELPHIA vs Butterfly Effect - BRONZE GAME 12.45 CET Finals, games 1-2 13.55 CET Intermission 15.00 CET Finals, games 3-4 16.15 CET Finals, game 5 * 17.00 CET Finals, game 6 * 17.30 CET Finals, game 7 * *If required. All games will be streamed on IS Streamcorner Twitch. Who do you think will win?

NHLGamers, We're almost there, the most anticipated league of the year is starting and you still have time to join the action! ECL 9 Elite kicked off with a bang last night and next week will be your turn to show us what you've got. This season, we're also introducing the ECL Neo, a division for new NHL gamers to get adjusted to playing in a league and the requirements that it has on a team and its players. See it as an incubator for future potential. ECL Neo will also be suitable for players who want to play games at a less stressful pace as this division only has two suggested weekly game days. Alongside Neo, we will run Lite, Pro and Elite as usual. Sign up NOW, as the signups will close tomorrow, Friday 15th of November at 23:59 CET. Sign up for ECL 9 Pro here 32 teams Sign up: ECL Pro eligible teams Gamedays: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday Regular season: Two groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round Sign up for ECL 9 Lite here 48-64 teams (TBC) Sign up: Anyone can apply for ECL Lite Teams will be decided by Franchise history, Roster composition and EASHL record ECL Lite registrants are also allowed to apply for a spot in ECL Pro Teams signing up for ECL Lite that don't make it into ECL Pro or ECL Lite will be automatically placed in ECL Neo Gamedays: Tuesday, Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 32 teams Best-of-7 8 days per round Sign up for ECL 9 Neo here 32+ teams Sign up: Without restrictions Gamedays: Wednesday & Sunday Regular season: Four groups Playoffs: 16 teams Best-of-5 7 days per round Gather your team, sign up and we'll see you on the ice!

NHLGamers, Another day, another story! It is with great pleasure we continue welcoming new professional sports organisations into our growing community. This time we have the honour of announcing that the roster of Northern Ascendancy will from now on be representing Luleå Hockey. The team is a combination of the former Northern Stars and Northern Ascendancy, where a multinational core of players combine talent, skill and experience for a lethal force on the ice. "It's an interesting initiative to grow the sport and increase interest in the youth community and that's why we've decided to venture into NHL esports. We're going into this with an open mind and have now acquired a roster that will represent Luleå Hockey going forward." - Stefan Enbom, CEO of Luleå Hockey "Playing under the Luleå banner generated a great amount of interest and we're very happy with our decision to recruit the guys we have for our team. It's a group of experienced players who have played together for several years and have top 4 finishes in both the ECL and SCL under their belt. We're moving fast in traditional hockey and we aim to do the same in esports. ECL Elite starts this week and our team takes on the challenge of competing for the best European team in hockey esports." - Andreas @AntzLhf Joanson, Sporting director at Luleå Hockey For some comments about the team, we caught up with skilled defenseman and assistant captain Hampus @The_Alpha_Furyan Duvefelt: What was it with Luleå Hockey that made you want to sign with them? Well, first of all it’s a classic Swedish hockey team. Luleå might not have 100+ years of history, but in the 42 years they’ve been around they’ve played in the top Swedish league for most of that time. What made us keen to represent Luleå though was their incredible enthusiasm when it came to the world of NHL esports. Not to mention their exciting vision for the future. Having someone like Andreas @AntzLhf – who is familiar with EASHL and NHLGamer – leading this venture on Luleås part gave us a lot of trust that they would “get it right”, which was important to us. We had a few other offers, but Andreas consistently made sure to let us know the clubs plans moving forward and how much they specifically wanted to bring us onboard and in the end, that was one of the deciding factors. What will set Luleå apart from the competition going forward? Off-ice, I think the dedication and commitment from Luleå Hockey to developing their esports section will be as good as any organization in the NHLGamer scene. We feel confident we will have everything we need to be able to perform our best in EASHL competition. On-ice, we’ll continue to rely on our usual quick offense and creative passing game we’ve been using for the past couple of tournaments. When its off its off… but when it’s on, it can hopefully wreak some have havoc for our opponents. What are your thoughts in general on several traditional hockey organisations recruiting esports rosters? What do you see as the potential benefits? Well, I know I speak for everyone when I say its an amazing and inspiring thing. To actually put pen on paper and sign a contract to play the game you’ve played for years and years, since you were a kid, just feels tremendous. Unreal, almost. The benefits for the scene are hard to put into words. It means everything to have esports organizations like HAVU and sports organizations like DEG, ZSC Lions, Växjö Lakers, Färjestad BK and now Luleå Hockey join our community and show that faith in us that this can continue to grow and evolve. For the teams themselves, it's probably exciting to open up a new way of communicating with fans and to perhaps one day play in a league against each other – capitalizing on the already existing rivalries. For example, we look forward to playing Färjestad where you’ll have both the rivalry of Northern Ascendancy vs. Bucketeers, but also Luleå vs. Färjestad. NHLGamer extends a warm thank you to Hampus and wishes good luck in their debut season wearing the Luleå colors. Follow Luleå Hockey Esport on their Twitter and Twitch channels for all the updates you might want on the team! Luleå Hockey Luleå Hockey hails from the city of Luleå in Northern Sweden. Having been founded in 1977 makes the club rather young, but despite that they have had some success in the form of one national championship, one European Trophy and their most recent trophy - a CHL victory in 2015. Luleå Hockey has been the incubator for highlight reel talent like Linus Omark and journeyman goaltender Anders Nilsson to name a few.

NHLGamers, The season of competitive NHL is well underway, but we’re just starting to ramp up the heat with the ECL kicking off and more good things in our near future. The skill and hard work in this community does not go unnoticed as all of us together act as the driving forces for the sport that we love. With that being said, it’s an honour to have the opportunity to present the newest organisation entering competitive NHL - Färjestad BK! Färjestad BK is one of the most successful Swedish hockey clubs and therefore it is only right that they would acquire a prestigious virtual counterpart as they will be represented by the former Bucketeers. The team was formed in 2016 and has been playing together in some capacity ever since. ECL 5 was their first outing at NHLGamer and after one season of getting acquainted, they quickly paved their way to Elite competition in consecutive seasons from ECL 6 to ECL 8. The teams strongest competitive showing so far was the first SCL season in the spring of 2019, when they placed 3rd after going undefeated through the group stage. Stefan Larsson, CEO of Färjestad BK comments as follows: “Of course, this is an interesting investment that we are getting into. The esports is growing globally and is already established in many other sports such as basketball and football. We are inspired by the opportunity to step into a relatively unknown but potentially large market, where we hope and believe in strong synergies going forward.” What is the long-term goal of FBK in esports? “It is still too early to say what the long-term goal may include, but I see it as we now have an opportunity to broaden the Färjestad BK brand by reaching people we may not have previously been able to reach. This creates a potential platform for us to grow in the future, even in a digital world.” - Stefan Larsson, CEO of Färjestad BK We also got in touch with team captain Filip @Obagol Feldt for some comments about their team and what’s in the horizon for them: What will your squad look like the upcoming season? How have you improved your game? There have been a couple of changes in the squad quite recently. Our long-time captain @Dercie has unfortunately decided to step down and take a break from NHL. We have also lost our left defender Daniel @Demski13 Gadd who is a part of another interesting project. We have therefore had to replace two top players and really nice persons and we have found excellent replacements in Mattias @Tacterz Hjelm (LW) and Atte @Aze Turtiainen (LD). Bucketeers is mostly known as a compact and defensive minded team. We know that we can always rely on that part. We have most recently focused on improving our pressure and our offense and we strongly believe that Tacterz together with Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist, Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson and Matti @SelanneFIN Makkonen will form an offensive force to be reckoned with. We are very happy with the squad we have registered for ECL. We enter the ECL with a squad consisting of four forwards, four defenders and two goalkeepers. Our offensive lineup looks really interesting and we believe we have a lot of experience and stability on the defensive side as well with Finnish defender l-Aze-l bringing a lot to the table. We also have reliable defenders in long-term team members Johan @Jerkix Eriksson and Pontus @Terasniska Teräsniska. Another interesting recruit is Anton @pajenc Carlsson who not only is a useful addition on the back end but he can play on any position and is a useful asset to any team. We have also recruited an exciting goalkeeper in Pascal @Waern26 Waern who is not yet especially known on the ECL stage. It will be interesting to follow his journey and continuous development. He will be in charge of guarding the net together with myself. What does it mean for your players to represent a big and well-known organization such as Färjestad BK? It feels like the NHL esports is growing rapidly and we are very proud and happy to become a part of Färjestad BK as they are now entering the esports scene. We have a very close cooperation and we believe that Färjestad can help us develop and take our game to the next level. Färjestad always strives to become the best at everything they do and that is very inspiring to us. I think it is safe to say we have never been more excited about the future! Do you have any relations to Färjestad within the team? As of right now we have a couple of guys with a close relationship to the team and to the city. Jerkix, Tacterz and our newest recruit Waernn_ are all big supporters of the team. Färjestad BK plays in a city called Karlstad and since Rubituss most likely will move here we will have three players in the city in the near future (Tacterz and Jerkix already live in Karlstad). That helps us a lot in the day-to-day contact and it is of course something of a dream come true for our players who have been long-time supporters of the team to also represent them in the esports scene. What are your goals as a club in the near future? We will strive to become the best team in Sweden and in Europe. It is a long and tough journey to get to that point, but we are more than ready to put in the work that is required to get us there. We feel like we have improved much since our third place in the SCL in spring and want to keep improving in every game and every season. Färjestad BK has high ambitions just like us and it will be super exciting to find out what we can achieve together. Let’s get this started! Thanks for a great interview and extensive answers to Obagol. Good luck with the upcoming season to the team! FBK’s ECL season kicks off Wednesday - stay tuned for more announcements regarding that. You can follow the team on their social media channels over at Twitter, YouTube and Twitch. Färjestad BK FBK is one of the absolute Elite organisations in Sweden. The team hails from Karlstad in central Sweden and managed playoffs for 20 years straight between the seasons of 94-95 and 13-14. Färjestad is also one of the most economically prevalent clubs in Sweden, showcasing their excellent management alongside strong performances on the ice.

Image credit: Estudios Zürich NHLGamers, It’s yet another beautiful day as we get to announce another traditional sports franchise solidifying their presence in the rapidly growing esports environment. This time the Swiss hockey powerhouse ZSC Lions are making an entry into NHL esports by signing Swiss-based team The Black Jacks. The team, led by captain Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi has been competing at the ECL stage for three total seasons now, being promoted to the pro level to cap off a championship run in ECL 7. The three founding members SnuS, Mike @burban26 Müller and Mario @Cami_7 Camenzind are still proudly sporting the teams colours after transitioning over from Xbox in late 2017. Besides ECL competition the former The Black Jacks have played GCL rather successfully, amassing three seasons worth of experience but never managing to overcome their arch nemesis BRAYCE Phantoms in the finals. Is that the hottest non-scandinavian rivalry in the scene? "I met our manager Hakan Pazarcikli at a Call of Duty tournament some time ago, we had a short chat and I asked about the possibility to host an NHL tournament, which he showed some interest in. The tournament was held and with 124 participants signing up, we had proven the potential of NHL esports even in a non-traditional market like Switzerland. Negotiations ensued and Hakan managed to get us in touch with ZSC Lions about a 1 year engagement in NHL esports. We are happy to act as pioneers in the Swiss NHL community and eager to collect valuable experience with this project." - Captain Sven “Original_SnuS” Julmi on the negotiation process Image credit: Estudios Zürich & NHLGamer We had a short chat with captain @Original-SnuS about his feelings on the new partnership: ZSC Lions is one of the more prestigious Swiss clubs and seems to have the urge to be pioneers on many fronts (Case Matthews). Now heading into esports, how does it feel to represent an organisation like ZSC Lions? We are honoured to represent this club on the virtual ice. I am very happy that one of the best Swiss clubs showed interest in taking this step. We will proudly represent the colour of ZSC Lions in every game. You’ve now established yourselves as a Pro level team - what are your goals going into your second season at that level? Well, we only have one season behind us. The first one was decent but showed a lot of our weak points. Rest assured those quirks have been worked out and the next step is reaching playoffs. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves by setting bigger goals than that. The team didn’t give us any specific performance related goals to meet. ZSC Lions eSports will play their first games on Sunday, 3rd of November in a friendly matchup against Växjö Lakers. The puck drops at 20:00 CET and the action can be followed at www.twitch.tv/zscesports. Team captains Mike @burban26 Müller (A), Sven @Original-SnuS Julmi (C) and Reto @afc_Tschitsch Ulrich (A) Image credit: Estudios Zürich ZSC Lions ZSC Lions is a hockey club hailing from the Swiss city of Zürich. The club was founded in 1930 and is one of the most prestigious clubs in the country with a total of eight national championships and several other accomplishments such as a CHL championship in 2009. The club is also known for being Auston Matthews’ home for the 2015-2016 season when the superstar got his first taste of pro hockey after going through the US National Team Development Program. ZSC Lions is the first Swiss organisation to venture into NHL esports.

NHLGamers, IS Cup 4 is well on its way and we've been treated to a some great games already. Over the course of the group stage we've seen a massive 2,984 goals scored in 462 matches, we also have three teams are who yet to be beaten, and four more who have only dropped one game thus far. All this means is that the playoffs are going to be heck of a treat to watch for the spectators as the 32 most competitive teams go to head to head, with the goal of making their way into the final four, securing a spot at GameXpo - as well as a shot at the title itself. As this group stage has been played under a particularly tight set schedule, we would like to take a moment and thank all participating teams for working well within the given limitations. Please note that the schedule for the IS Cup 4 playoffs is as follows: Round 1: 28.10 - 30.10 Round 2: 31.10 - 3.11 Quarterfinals: 4.11 - 6.11 Semifinals & Finals @ GameXpo: 15-16.11 Regarding the matchups we feel that transparency is the best policy. As such, it has to come our attention that the rule book had an omission in that when tie-breaking teams from different groups, PPG was ignored, with the following statistics being used instead to seed teams: Wins*; Goal difference*; Scored goals*. The major oversight in this was of course, a team could end up being seeded below another team despite finishing at an equal rank in a group while having earned more points over the course of the regular season. As such, we felt that such an omission should be corrected for as opposed to carrying on and the rules have been clarified. Without further ado, here are the matchups for round 1: (1) HAVU Gaming vs We Kings (32) (2) Delusion vs Shooting Stars (31) (3) Symphony vs Alliance HT (30) (4) TIKI TALK vs HC SKULL TOWN (29) (5) FILADELPHIA vs Oton Letkutemppu (28) (6) Butterfly Effect vs GHETTO FIREBIRDS (27) (7) Bucketeers vs Miracle (26) (8) POGGERS vs BRAYCE Phantoms (25) (9) Synergy Hockey vs Vaxjo Lakers HC (24) (10) Dynasty vs Reality Check (23) (11) Northern Ascendancy vs Nordic Lightning (22) (12) Roots vs Nightmare (21) (13) Unlucky Boys HC vs Sandstorm (20) (14) Vesa Pompa HC vs Black Horse (19) (15) Raccoon Rampage vs Checkmate (18) (16) Cowabunga Hockey vs Almost Famous (17) We would like to wish all of the teams good luck! Please agree on your game times as soon as possible and let us know in the comments when your games will be played. We will be broadcasting some games during the playoffs, so knowing our options well ahead of time gives us the best chances of featuring matchups! Also feel free to let us know your predictions for this round in the comments!