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SportsGamer hosts the ECL '22 Spring Elite Finals and possible Grand Finals in Helsinki this upcoming weekend and regardless of what transpires in the games, it will be a historical outcome. We've got two young and hungry teams clashing at an event unlike anything we've seen before, so we're happy to invite you to join us either live at the scene or in our stream! We've come a long way from the announcement of our reimagined ECL framework - "A Song of Winter and Spring" back in late 2021 and since then we've seen the likes of hREDS pulling off the historical back-to-back, the uprise of several interesting contenders such as SAWO ESPORTS and even the decline of some dynasties we once thought would never fade away. Now we're in for the finale of the ECL '22 season, as we'll first crown our Spring Champion and possibly even get to see a Grand Final on Sunday for the ECL '22 title. Both of the squads who have paved their way to the finals are hungry to get things going, but we'll need to hold them back for just a bit longer, as the Finals don't start until Friday evening. Until then, we'll be taking you through some details for the action packed weekend. What? The ECL '22 Spring Finals and The ECL '22 Grand Finals (If needed) #3 SAWO ESPORTS vs hREDS #1 When? Friday, June 17th 19:30 CEST (Games 1-2) Saturday, June 18th 18:45 CEST (Games 3-7) Sunday, June 19th 20:30 CEST (ECL '22 Grand Finals)* Where? Helsinki, Finland - Narinkkatori www.twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG You'll find us at the SportsGamer truck parked at Narinkkatori, the event is hosted in cooperation with St Hockey and besides their St Hockey Tour opening weekend event. Entry is free. "It's been a blast, however there's obviously so much work that goes into an event like this just behind the scenes. This time is going to be quite different from what we've ever done before with it being outside and all the challenges coming with that, but I think we've managed to tackle them well. Combining our event with both the St Hockey Tour and the Wilhelm eHockey Tour also adds to the experience of it all, it's definitely going to be a celebration of hockey in all forms", says SportsGamer COO Kenneth @Kenu Lehtinen. Stay tuned as the week progresses for more info about the Finals and everything we've got coming up! We'll also drop the extensive Finals preview later in the week.

For the first time since the inaugural IIHF Fan Challenge back in 2020, the IIHF is back with the all new 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship, where hockey fans all around the world will get the chance to qualify for their national team and go for gold in the final tournament between the best 22 teams in the world! In the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship, the amount of participating nations has been expanded from 16 to 22, with even more to come in the future. The new championship is part of a new IIHF initiative to bring more opportunities for games to represent their country at the world stage in smaller and bigger competitions. “With the launch of the IIHF eWorld Championship, we are aiming for this to be the start of a new program of esports offerings in the future,“ comments IIHF President Luc Tardif. The 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship is played in three stages, out of which the first is the National Qualifiers. All participating nations will first host National Qualifiers, where both a PlayStation and Xbox champion will be determined, these 44 champions in total will make up the national teams for each country. After this, the final tournament starts with the Group Stage in early July, followed by the playoffs, that will finish with the Grand Final in mid-July. List of Qualifiers: Thursday, 16th of June Norway  Switzerland  Friday 17th of June Hungary  France  Saturday 18th of June Slovenia  Poland  Sunday 19th of June Korea  Germany  Monday 20th of June Ukraine  Slovakia  Tuesday 21st of June Kazakhstan  Czech Republic  Wednesday 22nd of June Japan  Austria  Thursday 23rd of June Denmark  Friday 24th of June USA  Italy  Saturday 25th of June Canada  Great Britain  Sunday 26th of June Latvia  Sweden Tuesday & Wednesday 28th & 29th of June Finland  Click your country in order to advance to the registration site, Finnish players are able to qualify right here at SportsGamer.GG. The signups are already open and anyone over 16 years of age from a participating country is available to sign up! To compete a player is required to have a stable internet connection and a console that is able to play the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version of NHL 22, so sign up now in order to help your country go for glory in the 2022 IIHF eWorld Championship!

SportsGamers, This season, our ECL Elite Player Awards will feature an open vote, where all of you will have the opportunity to impact who will receive the individual awards at the end of the season. We have six categories in total with five nominees in each category. While some nominees have been selected due to their statistically superior performance, there has been space for a slightly more subjective approach too. We've had a jury pick out two of the five nominees in all five categories based on their votes. Voting will open effective immediately and we're asking you to cast your votes by Wednesday, June 15th at 23:59 CEST. The awards will be presented in the ECL '22 Spring Finals broadcasts on Friday, June 17th and Saturday, June 18th. Make sure to cast your vote in order to support your favorite player! Here's a list of all the nominees in all the different award categories. You'll find a link to the vote at the end of each category, so make sure to click through and cast your votes!   Top Forward The Top Forward award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their forward position. Paul @PleeMaker Arontie, Frölunda HC  The long-time Frölunda HC left winger has been a terror for defensemen around the league since he was just a small kid. He's a guaranteed 20-goal scorer every season and when not scoring, he is always a dangerous option, making space for his linemates to succeed. The ECL '22 Spring Top Scorer. Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen, hREDS  Perhaps the best centerman in the game is able to elevate players flanking him while simultaneously being very reliable defensively. An unusually high scoring centerman, who finished #2 in the scoring race this season. Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen, SAWO ESPORTS  A newly emerged talent, who has lead SAWO ESPORTS to the brink of greatness together with his partner Jere @jxrska Laukka. A "shoot first, ask later"-kind of player who tends to convert at a very high percentage.  Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, Frölunda HC  The former HAVU Gaming captain found an offseason transfer in looks to spark his career into new heights, which seemed to work well. Despite not quite reaching career high numbers, the right winger was a factor for his team all season long and managed to continue where he left off with his old team.  Jere @jxrska Laukka, SAWO ESPORTS  Another young and exciting talent for SAWO ESPORTS, who as mentioned together as a dynamic duo with Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen are able to dismantle just about any defense in the league. High skill player with a propensity to also play the body at an unusually high rate. Vote for the Top Forward of ECL '22 Spring here! Top Defender The Top Defender award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their defenseman position. Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen, hREDS  Has developed into arguably the best defenseman around since his first season with hREDS back in ECL 12 and now managed to become the Top Scorer (T-1) among defensemen for the second season in a row. Very patient and skilled with the puck. Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, SAWO ESPORTS  Really blossomed after completing his transfer to SAWO ESPORTS and managed to stand out from the competition especially early on in the season. Tied for highest scoring defenseman. Tuukka @Tuukka.R (KingOfApes_) Röpelinen, hREDS  One of the success stories in terms of forwards turning defensemen and it's evident in his confidence with the puck that KingOfApes has played up front before. In a class of his own when it comes to confidence and scored the most goals (10) among defensemen in the regular season. Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala, Frölunda HC  Switched to a defensive position from his centerman role and did that extremely well. Slotted in nicely alongside long-time teammate Aleksi @loimmu Loimuvirta and helped his team in both ends of the ice consistently. Tero @Terodee Dahlström, Örebro Hockey  Örebro Hockey emerged as one of the bigger dark horses of the season and while captain Terodee has always been a great offensive defenseman, the team has struggled with the actual defensive duties at times. This season, they seemed to be firing on all cylinders and the captain had an excellent campaign. Vote for the Top Defender of ECL '22 Spring here! Top Goalie The Top Goalie award is awarded to a player that has excelled above the competition in their goaltender position. Filip @Faze91- Azri, hREDS  Statistically pulled ahead of everyone by quite a margin over the course of the regular season. Accomplished a career high in both SV% with 87.86 and shutouts with 10. Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen, SAWO ESPORTS  The cover gamer continued where he had left off in the winter season, putting forth a very consistent campaign throughout, and while not quite reaching the highs he did last season, this season had no lows either. Cemented his status as one of the best in the league. Casper @ICappeI Lundgren, Frölunda HC  Has been reigning supreme at the top for a long time and is such a consistent performer. That being said, he had no off nights this season either and was right up there with the best of them statistically too.  Johan @McSavid Rundqvist, Färjestad BK  McSavid has grown into one of the best goalies in the division along with the great performances throughout the years by his team. Has a bit of an unconventional more aggressive style of play, which divides opinions.  Christoffer @Tiipponenii (Coffelainen) Eriksson, HV71​​​​​​​  As last season's newcomer HV71 has been trying to gain a foothold in the Elite division, their goaltender Coffelainen has been a great cornerstone for them. Could have been flying a bit under the radar for some, but this season's solid performances have elevated his stock. Vote for the Top Goalie of ECL '22 Spring here! Rookie Of The Season The Rookie Of The Season award is awarded to a player in their rookie ECL Elite season, who has excelled above the competition regardless of position. Miikka @xColeslaww (Koleslaav) Kolehmainen, Stargazing  After spending several seasons in various top Pro outfits in very productive roles, the talented winger finally took the step up together with the almost full rookie squad of Stargazing. Koleslaav didn't slow down production and despite his team not performing as well as they would've wanted, he stood out as their best performer. Niklas @Bobiraataja (Nikhaa27) Haataja, Stargazing  A highly talented defenseman that has been on the radar of several Elite teams before. Especially known for an excellent defensive stick, but showed in his rookie Elite season that points production is something he can also do. Kevin @Keuschemisch Berg, ZSC Esports  The former noRex Gaming winger signed with the Swiss outfit in the offseason and has really exhibited a fast rise to the top, as he has made a step up in each of the past two seasons and done so in successful fashion. Slotted in very well with ZSC and should continue improving from there.  Miro @Flopper71 Heikkinen, Stargazing  Another Stargazing forward, who made the step up to Elite after spending a some time in Pro in very productive roles. Didn't quite reach the production levels of linemate Koleslaav, but is notorious for coming up clutch and scoring those much needed goals when the team is in a tough spot.  Kalle @James (Jamechkin) Riihelä, Stargazing  An extremely skilled defenseman with great puck possession, had a decent entry into the Elite division despite a non-favorable outcome for his team.  Vote for the Rookie Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! Comeback Player Of The Season The Comeback Player Of The Season award is awarded to a player that after one or more seasons away from ECL Elite competition, makes an impactful comeback to the highest level. Väinö @Pikkardz (Pikkarii) Pikkarainen, Örebro Hockey  Spent last season in Pro with the former Dynastia and was one of that teams most important forces. Decided to take on the Elite challenge with Örebro this season and while there were many doubters, Örebro proved to be one of the big dark horses this season. Played a very mature two-way game at the center position. Väinö @vSilenttio (vee_SILE) Pietilä, JYP Jyväskylä  As the Winter Pro season Champions, JYP Jyväskylä gained promotion back to the European top 16 and vee_SILE together with his teammates proved that they belong there. Took on a big leading role in the team together with his more experienced squadmates Antti @tbnantti Kuittinen and Santeri @indi969 Pendolin. Toni @Pirtsa89 Pirttimäki, Stargazing  Having formerly represented IQUE at the Elite level, Pirtsa decided to join Stargazing for their Pro Championship push last season. You're always in for a tough challenge when in net for an underdog like that in their first Elite season, but Pirtsa handled his job and seemed comfortable in net. Samu @xKeskitalo Keskitalo, GOONS  The long-time GOONS player completely skipped the Winter season and played his last competitive games back in late 2021 as a right defenseman. Now, returning for GOONS at the centerman position, xKeskitalo put forth a great effort certainly earning him some prestige as a bona fide centerman at the Elite level. Rony @rGinnu Kinnunen, Conquer Gaming  Another player that hadn't played since FCL in late 2021 and in fact only had one season as a starter in Elite under his belt prior to this one, back then as a right defenseman, and that was in early 2019! Who would've guessed rGinnu will slot right in at center for Conquer and carry the team to the playoffs with excellent performances throughout.  Vote for the Comeback Player Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! Transfer Of The Season The Transfer Of The Season award is awarded to a player who after a transfer is deemed to have been the most impactful player for their new team. Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha, Frölunda HC  Perhaps one of the biggest transfers in ECL history. The long-time captain and founder of HAVU Gaming switched sides to their main rival Frölunda HC in the offseason and didn't miss a beat, continuing his dominant play on the virtual ice.  Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila, SAWO ESPORTS  After a disappointing loss in the ECL '22 Winter Finals, Teemuyy made a controversial departure from Frölunda HC and for some time it seemed like we weren't sure where he would end up. Having finally signed with SAWO, the youngster really elevated his level of play and was cornerstone for their success. Ville @Supreex Korhonen, GOONS  Has been one of the most highly sought after goaltenders in the scene for a long time, but has remained loyal to his guys back in Northern Ascendancy until the start of this season. Shared responsibilities with the experienced Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu and seemed to be a great addition for GOONS. André @Foppatofflan Liljegren, Falun Coal Miners  Known as one of the better playmakers around, and always seems to have an ace or two up his sleeve. Made the transfer from Färjestad BK to Falun Coal Miners and despite his team struggling a bit, he still managed to better his point totals with a whopping 14 points from last season.  Connor @MartindalexC Martindale, Falun Coal Miners​​​​​​​  Made the move from Northern Ascendancy to Falun Coal Miners in the offseason and alike his teammate Foppatofflan, while his team struggled a bit from time to time, he still managed to improve on his own production, besting his last seasons totals by 16 points. Vote for the Transfer Of The Season of ECL '22 Spring here! As stated, the voting will be open until Wednesday, June 15th at 23:59 CEST, so make sure to cast your votes before that and tune in to the finals broadcasts on Friday & Saturday June 17th and 18th for all the action and the voting results!

SportsGamers, It's time for the second finals series of the Spring season as we're winding down towards the end of the Neo season. Only two teams remain at this point, and those are #2 seed EPINAL HC ESPORT and Turkunummi. These two have came a long way and pushed through so many opponents along their journey. It'll all come down to a final best-of-five series. The ECL '22 Spring Neo Finals will be played in full on Sunday the 12th of June 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Neo playoffs: Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO5) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO5) Semifinals: 05.06 – 08.06 (BO5) Finals: 12.06 (BO5) For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL 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.  (2)  EPINAL HC ESPORT vs Turkunummi  (3) The full series will be broadcasted at www.twitch.tv/wildcats_esport. Good luck both teams!

SportsGamers, After a gruelling finals series, where one team had to face disappointment once again, we have a new ECL Pro Champion! Växjö Lakers were on a mission to redeem their glory after a disastrous Winter campaign and in the finals, they got the better of Reality Check, who were on their second straight finals run, once again coming up just short. Reality Check will be facing Stargazing in a relegation series to determine their fate for next season. Växjö Lakers' s road to the championship: #1 seed from group 2 with the record 23-5-2 Round 1: vs Geekz Energy eSports (8) 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs Herlev Eagles (13) 4-2 Semifinals: vs HanaaHC (3) 4-0 Finals: vs Reality Check (1) 4-1 The winning roster: GOALTENDERS #38 Erik @MrAllsvenskan Rotsenius #86 Toni @hulkamaania (zeukki_) Panagopulos DEFENSEMEN #27 Samuel @EDHOLMEN3 Edholm (C) #88 Johannes @Hockeyjohannes Hultmark (A) FORWARDS #4 Mikkel @Birkedal96 Birkedal (A) #61 Adam @dzouvi Mensik #91 Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson   Congratulations to the champions on behalf of the entire community, and a warm thank you to all participants!

The Finals are here and we're expecting some fireworks between two excellent virtual hockey teams. Both squads have proved dominant on their campaigns throughout and it's looking like these two will match up for a very tough series. May the best team win! Schedule   Preview (1)  Reality Check vs Växjö Lakers  (2) Both of these teams are coming into the finals off of very similar campaigns, and to no one's surprise, these two are the teams that managed to dominate their respective groups in the regular season too. While Växjö had a very disappointing Winter season and are now proving themselves in an incredible bounce back effort, Reality Check is heading to the finals for the second time in a row. They've been a fringe Elite team for a very long time, and maybe this is going to be their turn to shine? Reality Check is 12-1-1 thus far in the playoffs and they've been in very convincing form throughout. Most of their games have been rather tight and we've seen several one goal differentials, but the main thing for this team is that they seem to be able to turn almost every game in their favor in one way or another. Usually this entails stringing together solid decisions and managing to limit high danger scoring chances for the opposition, which also statistics support for this team. They've been excellent throughout their lineup and their goaltender @FINSeRe has been a beast. The team has allowed a bit over 9 shots per game against and the goalie stops pucks at a rate of 86,05%, which surely indicates that opponents will have a rough go scoring against this squad.  Just like Reality Check, Växjö Lakers have been very impressive all season without too much of a slip-up at any point. The fact that their forward trio @Kattenj, @Birkedal96 alnd @dzouvi are topping the scoring statistics between the tree of them is a pure show of their scoring power and the dominance they've been able to exhibit thus far in the playoffs especially. Due to their high offensive drive, Växjö Lakers is also a bit more probable to allow more shots, and they've been fine with that since they've been able to trust their goaltending and match the scoring whenever needed. Regardless of who will take this series in the end, it's guaranteed we'll see a great fight and some fireworks in the series coming up. Prediction: Reality Check wins 4-3 The Finals will begin today and the first games will be featured on the SportsGamer Sunday broadcast starting already at 18:15 CEST! 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

SportsGamers, It's been a long road to travel for teams in the Core division thus far, and now we're down to the top four! Through four playoff rounds, these teams have defied odds and bested their opponents, now only eight wins away from the trophy. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The Semifinal round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 5th of June 2022 and end on Thursday the 9th of June 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Core playoffs: Round-of-64: 01.05 – 05.05 (BO7) Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO7) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO7) Semifinals: 05.06 – 09.06 (BO7) Finals: 13.06 – 14.06 (BO7) [Provisional date] For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.    (1)  Rögle BK vs Chiefzz HC  (7) A quick glance at the rosters puts Rögle BK in the favorite position in this series by a landslide and they've consistently plowed through opposition throughout the season at convincing pace. Chiefzz HC will be in for a challenge unlike anything they've seen thus far this season. While Rögle is surely looking to crush their opponents with scoring explosions like only they've been able to do this season, Chiefzz HC will benefit from trying to keep the score low for as long as possible. It's tough to imagine this series going past five games.  Prediction: Rögle BK advances, 4-1 (3)  Frolunda HC Region vs Etelan Vetelat  (6) This one could turn out to be a very interesting series. Frolunda HC consists of several up-and-comers and some very talented players with lots still to learn, but great potential, whereas Etelan Vetelat holds some very experienced gamers in their roster, with several seasons at higher levels under their belts. Statistically, Frolunda HC has a tendency to play a bit more offensive compared to their opponents, who you could imagine want to utilize their experience and chemistry in order to overcome this challenge.  Prediction: Etelan Vetelat advances, 3-4   Good luck for everyone!

SportsGamers, We're closing in on the grande finale of the Neo season, but first - the Semifinals! Last round, the #1 seed London Lightning were trampled in a surprising sweep by HC KOROBKA, who seem to be on a mission to take down the big dogs. Quite interestingly we've also got the FIFA extraordinaire team Turkunummi paving their way this far into the postseason, going up against KH Torun Esports! The Semifinal round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 5th of June 2022 and end on Wednesday the 8th of June 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Neo playoffs: Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO5) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO5) Semifinals: 05.06 – 08.06 (BO5) Finals: 12.06 (BO5) For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL 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.  Click here to view the matchups for the Semifinals of the ECL '22 Spring Neo Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

This weekend, the 2022 NHL GWC European Finals were concluded in Maastricht, the Netherlands and after a long tournament and some dramatic events throughout the weekend, the golden boy Erik @Eki Tammenpää secured his back-to-back title. With the grand prize of 15 000 USD at stake and for most players, the return to LAN events in practice was a very exciting setting for the weekend in Maastricht at the GG DreamHack Sports Festival, which eventually culminated with the crowning of a new European NHL GWC Champion. The contenders had all paved their way through a gruelling online qualifier stage, and eventually the eight best players were invited to enter the final weekend. Here's a list of those contenders: Erik @Eki Tammenpää 🇫🇮 Johan @Lehmannens Lehmann 🇸🇪 Henrik @Eken45jr Eklund 🇸🇪 Olli "IOLL1" Lehtimäki 🇫🇮  Jimi @jamal-_- Rönkkönen 🇫🇮 Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila 🇫🇮 Aaro @xDoumi Ruuhinen 🇫🇮 Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 🇫🇮 Eventually, after lots of excitement and even some controversy we saw the Finns Eki and J-_-Jamaltheman qualify for the finals, and the two truly proved that both of them could be worthy of the Championship. The two of them went head-to-head in a full three game series, trading blows in a true ebb and flow situation. The first game of the finals was a 3-1 win for the defending champion Eki, and it looked like he had it all under control, but in the low-scoring series Jamal was able to surprise in the second game, taking it to a decisive third match. After a full three periods of the third game, the game was tied at 1-1 and we knew we'd see a worthy finish for the European NHL GWC Finals - the two best players going at it for one goal only. As the title of our article suggests, the scorer was eventually Eki, who managed to secure his back-to-back title! We reached out to the Champion for some comments about his feat: How would you compare this campaign to the one you had last year, and who was the best opponent you played? Well obviously the biggest difference was the LAN finals. It's all different when you get to see everyone and play at 0 ping, which is always great. I have to say that @jamal-_- was in a class of his own today, the finals were absolutely crazy and it speaks volumes that we went all the way to game 3 OT. I feel like he was way calmer than everyone else around and some of the dekes and plays he tried to pull were very different. The fact that he managed to stay so relaxed put me in a tough place since it's usually way easier to play off your opponents when you can tell they're nervous.  What are your thoughts about this years GWC overall and the format, how about the live finals? The format was good, I liked the fact that we had the draft earlier than before (already at the top 16 stage) and that the console qualifiers had a double elimination format. However, I've always wanted the GWC to be a longer tournament and for players to have more chances to qualify, I'm not a big fan of the "one and you're done format". Naturally it makes for some thrilling moments as we witnessed today but in general it's not my cup of tea.  How has it been for you to return to LAN games after a longer pause with the pandemic? It's been great. I already got some touch for playing big LAN games in Tampa Bay earlier this year. I've always been good at LANs for some reason, my first ever tournament I finished second although I by no means were the second best player at the event, but ever since then it's just been working for me. I can't tell why but maybe I'm just less nervous than the competition or can better use the advantage from the 0 ping factor, I'm just guessing but some of that could be. Finally, how are you going to celebrate this Championship? It's 10 PM and I'm at the hotel answering these interview questions, so that's pretty much it! We've got an early flight tomorrow and I'm not one to party too much anyways, so maybe I'll figure something out when I'm home but no bigger plans than that.  On behalf of the SportsGamer community, I extend a heartfelt thank you to the Champion and congratulations on the title! Now it's time for all the contenders to turn their heads toward next year and what's to come, maybe that will be your time to challenge Eki?

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! You asked for it, so we'll provide! This time we had a chat with Santeri @Sanezh Maanselkä, who has spent all of his virtual hockey career with Hokurit. The defenseman hailing from Mikkeli in southeastern Finland has come a long way together with his team, with their sights set on consistent improvement, one step at a time. 1.    What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I think it was back in NHL 13 when I first played EASHL with a couple of friends, quite casually. The fire for playing competitively was ignited somewhere around NHL 16, when Hokurit was founded. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Hokurit? I've played for Hokurit for my entire career and several of my teammates have become great friends for me even outside of the virtual rinks. The best part though is the way the core players have been committed to our long project that started already in 2015. Naturally we've had some roster turnover over the years, but it's been great to see how each player has grown through the years and with each iteration of the game. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? There's so many and it's tough to pick just one. I think one of the most memorable moments was our ECL 8 debut when every player was so nervous and some shaky hands were evident! Another more recent memory was our promotion to ECL '22 Winter Pro through the qualifiers. The five season grind finally paid off and the feeling was incredible when we managed to secure our spot at the second highest tier in the final matchup of the qualifiers. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! I'm not a big breakfast person and often tend to skip it, but a true and tested combo I've stuck with is a few slices of rye bread with ham and cheese, washed down with a couple glasses of cold milk. 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? I could easily pick a player each from the top 3 teams, but I'll go with players I've played with over the years and that have made an impression on me: @jouni29 - @MozjaTG (Mozjayh) - @vepdsssss (Werppi) @Maestroffi - @ripKeisari @burban26 I started my career playing with Mozja so he is an easy pick for center. He is a very skilled player and I'd say he is one of the best centermen in Elite right now. Flanking him I've got Jouni, who I've played with for several years. He's a guy who handles his defensive duties with care and backs his teammates regardless of the situation. On the right flank I've picked a rather unknown name, Werppi. Be on the lookout for his skill. On defense I've picked my former defensive partners. Maestroffi is a very good player in his own zone and also handles scoring when some backup is needed on that front. ripKeisari is a guy I've known for over ten years and he is a high-skill defenseman who is great with the puck.  In net, I've got the Swiss beard king, Burban. I had the honor of playing an FCL tournament with him and he made an impression as a very nice person with a passion and fire for the game. 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a kid I always wanted to be a police officer, but later on I've dreamt about a job in sports. A marketing job for a hockey team could be very cool. Right now I'm working at the fresh meat counter of a supermarket. 7. Do you play or have you played hockey? I've never played for a team although I wanted to do so as a kid. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? The best memory is from 2015 and it's not even close. That's when my hometown team Mikkelin Jukurit secured the Mestis championship, which sealed the deal for them to advance to playing at the highest level in Liiga. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I like playing other games too, especially FIFA and Call of Duty. I'm also an avid sports fan and I can be found in the stands cheering on local football and hockey teams throughout the winter and summer. Nothing beats having a few beers in a group of friends after a tough week of work, though. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Pepperoni, blue cheese and paprika mayonnaise to top it off. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Motörhead – The Game. 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My name is Santeri, and most of my friends call me Sane, which eventually transformed into Sanezh, when all other options for my PSN ID were taken. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? @Beniittto. He's the captain and centerman for the best team in Europe. If anyone, he makes the game look easy. 14. Describe your ideal holiday! On a beach somewhere warm with good friends. 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? I'm gonna call out @Rytze_. I think this gentleman could provide a great interview for you! Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series. Also, if there are any questions you'd like us to add to the arsenal, let us know!

It's time to drop the puck also for the Elite playoffs! We're in for a multitude of exciting series and as last time, hREDS have the opportunity to extend their historical run even further. Everyone else is here to spoil their party, and to get their own shot at glory. Structure & Prize Pool Schedule The previews were written in cooperation by @jahajaha93 & @ose16. (1) hREDS vs Conquer Gaming (8) TOP SCORER (Regular season) Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen 29 GP, 28+35=63 vs Valtteri @Vire30 Vireaho 30 GP, 17+23=40 GOALTENDER (Regular season) Filip @Faze91- Azri 25 GP, 22 W, 87,86 SV%, 1.00 GAA, 10 SO vs Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck 30 GP, 15 W, 80,79 SV%, 2.27 GAA, 6 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 26-2-2 vs 15-12-3 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 1-2 OT, 0-1 OT We'll be the first ones to admit we were dead wrong about Conquer Gaming, as our season preview ranked them at 15th in a relegation battle spot. Now we're all glad to see them fighting in the playoffs in a very interesting battle against the back-to-back champions hREDS, who as expected, had a great run throughout the regular season gaining them the top seed. The reigning champions are on a run unlike anything else ever seen before in the ECL, with a chance of extending their streak even further, cementing themselves as the sole dynasty above anyone else in European virtual hockey history, but this is just the beginning of the journey and as everyone else at this point, they're still 12 wins away from ultimate glory. We've raved on for what seems like years about how good of a team hREDS are and the fact has hardly escaped anyone at this point - the stats speak for themselves, but one thing above everything else is their special teams excellence. hREDS' combined special teams is by far the best in the leagueand their 97.44% penalty kill leaves no room for the opposing power play to succeed. Despite the dominant performance throughout by hREDS, quite surprisingly, Conquer Gaming really had their number in the regular season managing to win both of the matchups between the two in overtime. In those games, Conquer goaltender Axel @MonkeyHeadAF Falck stood on his head but perhaps even more impressively, Conquer managed to defend as a unit, keeping hREDS away from the high danger zones. Winning two regular season games is very different from taking home an entire seven game series though, and we'll eagerly be waiting to see what new tricks Conquer might have up their sleeve. One could imagine that Conquer will need to try securing a bit more possession play, which starts by winning faceoffs - this puts centerman Rony @rGinnu Kinnunen in a crucial role against his counterpart Perttu @Beniittto Kemppainen. Although Conquer managed to secure two wins in the regular season, we don't expect hREDS to be rattled by those mishaps and they'll make life very difficult for their opposition in this series. It's hard to imagine Conquer sneaking away with any more than one win in the series. hREDS advances, 4-1. (2) Frölunda HC vs Roots Gaming (7) TOP SCORER (Regular season) Paul @PleeMaker Arontie 29 GP, 33+36=69 vs Linus @Limu95 Christiansson 30 GP, 20+25=45 GOALTENDER (Regular season) Casper @ICappeI Lundgren 29 GP, 22 W, 82,8 SV%, 1.48 GAA, 6 SO vs Tomas @Mehiiss Laitinen 16 GP, 9 W, 80.3 SV%, 2.44 GAA, 3 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 23-4-3 vs 15-9-6 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 1-2, 4-2 Before the season there were speculation about how the new Frölunda HC lineup would work but now it is safe to say it was a good change for them. Now it's time to see how their game will work in the playoffs. It was great to see Joonas @Patzlaf Paatiala getting his game going in the defensive position after playing as a center for this team before. Their newcomer Tuukka @FlyerKungen Kuha brought good things to their offense as Frölunda scored 94 goals in the regular season which was most in the league by any team. That was probably one of the reasons why Paul @PleeMaker Arontie was on fire with 33 goals and 69 points making him the best goal scorer and point producer. We will see how Frölunda's playoff journey will go but for sure Indians have only one thing in their mind and it's winning the ECL Elite title after a couple of disappointing seasons. Roots Gaming finished their first season in 9th place but this season which was their second in the Elite division, they managed to catch the second last playoff spot. Roots have taken great and steady steps forward so it is interesting to see where this team is heading in the future. Their scoring power is well balanced and every player is able to take a leading role when it is needed. Defense is a really big part of the offense as you can see from Niko @vVoDee Vottonen's and Joonas @LE1PAKONE(NordZman_) Nordman's combined 21 goals. The first one won the leagues defense goal scoring title with 14 goals. One of the biggest keys in Roots' development is that their offensive trio has played together from the start. This series will be a good first test for the new Frölunda HC. One of the key factors will be the goaltending game like always in the playoffs. Tomas @Mehiiss Laitinen will face one the best goalies this league has had with Casper @ICappeI Lundgren between the pipes. Roots' defense have to maybe get a little bit away from their offensive interests when they are protecting the net against Frölunda. Winning one game in the regular season will bring confidence to Roots' game but there is just too many factors against them. Frölunda will start their playoff journey with 4-1 series win. (3) SAWO ESPORTS vs HAVU Gaming (6) TOP SCORER (Regular season) Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen 30 GP, 32+28=60 vs Wille @willekunq Juntunen 30 GP, 25+14=39 GOALTENDER (Regular season) Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen 30 GP, 21 W, 83,33 SV%, 1.8 GAA, 4 SO vs Hannes @Hansulinho Kettunen 30 GP, 15 W, 80,00 SV%, 1.83 GAA, 3 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 21-7-2 vs 15-9-6 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 1-0 OT, 4-0 SAWO ESPORTS had a second great regular season in a row. This season, their young group is looking for success in the playoffs too. Last season SAWO was sent out of the playoffs in 6 games in the first round. That boosted their hunger even more coming to this season and they are now a more experienced team. Their new player for this season Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila has been a great fit for their game style. Like last season, dynamic duo Jere @jxrska Laukka and Valtteri @Vattuyy Virtanen has been really powerful and both finished in the top 5 among point producers. Sawo's game hasn’t had any weak points as they scored the third most goals in the league but also let in the third least goals. This lineup has a huge amount of potential but now they have the chance to take that next step and show their best game in the big games also. HAVU Gaming's start for the season was a little difficult. They were below the playoff line for a long time and also tried different combinations in the lineup. At the end of the day they got their game going with their longtime goalie Oskari @SibeIius Grönroos being in defense and defender Wille @willekunq Juntunen stepping up to offense. Their comeback player from JYP Jyvaskyla, Ilmari @Buantso(Puantso) Lehkonen didn’t have the best season in terms of scoring and hasn't really brught what we're used to seeing from him - yet. Only 11 goals in the regular season is a new low for him and he has played since the first ECL. That and many other things can be turned around here in the playoffs by HAVU. One of the most or maybe the most experienced playoff teams needs to find a way to succeed in the playoffs as old every season finalist has had couple of tougher seasons in last years. This series is going to be a battle of young hungry talents going against experienced many time champions who are looking to get back to the top 4. Havu was only 9th when it comes to goal scoring and that will not get easier in this series as they are facing Niklas @uhNikke Nieminen who once again had a great season being 2nd in the league on saving percentage. Fact is that these two has played 4 games against each other in the last two seasons Sawo winning them all and Havu only scoring 2 goals total in those games including 3 shoutouts for Sawo. Havu´s experience will make this series tough for Sawo but at the end of the day karelian´s goal scoring power will be too much for the old champions new defense and Sawo will make to the second round in 6 games. (4) Örebro Hockey vs GOONS (5) TOP SCORER (Regular season) Jussi @JaKurrii Koivuniemi 30 GP, 20+27=47 vs Arttu @laitineen64 Laitinen 30 GP, 27+29=56 GOALTENDER (Regular season) Elie @eliekamel87 Kamel 30 GP, 20 W, 81,65 SV%, 2.00 GAA, 6 SO vs Ville @Supreex Korhonen 18 GP, 11 W, 79.61 SV%, 2.33 GAA, 2 SO REGULAR SEASON RECORD 20-8-2 vs 18-9-3 REGULAR SEASON SERIES 1-5, 4-3 OT These two opened the season against each other back in early April, and that is quite a while ago. Even some changes have happened since then on the GOONS side, as the team elected to bring in Veeti @Wenger (re_Wenger) Paloneva from FILADELPHIA ACADEMY as they chose to sit high profile defenseman Joel @jtorro-_- Tourunen after a somewhat troubling start to the season. If GOONS were expected to finally have a breakout season, Örebro were one of those teams that had some clouds on the horizon to start the season, at least in the minds of several doubters including us. The outfit lead by defenseman Tero @Terodee Dahlström had acquired Väinö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen to center their squad and whereas they seemed like a potential roster, no one could have expected them to perform in the way they did. While both of these squads are already rather experienced teams, they hold some of the games most exciting talent in their rosters and they're known for flashing some of that top end skill from time to time. However, they can equally have an off game and fluctuate in form quite heavily, which could indicate some high scoring games ahead for us. One thing that is certain is that the goaltenders will have their work cut out form them, and Örebro will be icing Elie @eliekamel87 Kamel, who has solidified himself among the best in the league and can earn his team a win on any given day. GOONS, on the other hand, have an interesting choice to make. They have two very experienced goalies to pick from in Mika @FinKonna Paasikontu and Ville @Supreex Korhonen. They can't go wrong with either one and most likely the choice could come down to availability or a predetermined 50/50 split. In this series, the winner will be the team that can string together the most consistent performances and do that at their highest level. Örebro is coming into the playoffs in excellent form and in my books, have a slight edge which is why they're my pick in six games.

SportsGamers, Only eight teams remain in the Core playoffs at this point and all of them certainly hold the capability of going all the way. At this point it's all about will and focus, and we'll follow along eagerly to see who will advance one step closer to the trophy. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Monday the 30th of May 2022 and end on Thursday the 2nd of June 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Core playoffs: Round-of-64: 01.05 – 05.05 (BO7) Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO7) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO7) Semifinals: 05.06 – 09.06 (BO7) Finals: 13.06 – 14.06 (BO7) [Provisional date] For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for the Quarterfinals of the ECL '22 Spring Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

In the Quarterfinal round of the ECL '22 Spring Lite Playoffs we're in for some very tough battles, where these teams are expected to trade blows back and forth. There's really no telling who will come out as the victor in the end, but we'll do our best to predict some outcomes! Structure & Prize Pool     Schedule One interesting fact about the Quarterfinals this season is that Group 3 is very well represented, in fact 50% of the teams at this stage played in that same group in the regular season. All of these teams have a very experienced roster, which simply goes to show that despite perhaps not always performing to their best ability in the regular season, that x-factor is a much needed commodity for a deep run in the playoffs. Now it's time to turn our heads toward the upcoming round and see if that experience and skill can carry some of these teams onward, or if we'll continue seeing upsets. The Quarterfinals are to be played between Monday, May 30th and Thursday, June 2nd.   (2)  Tadpole vs Valco  (26) We've got a group 3 rivalry on tap. These two split victories in the regular season, but Tadpole walked away with a point more due to an OT loss. It seems like most teams have beef with Valco and they've really embraced being the villain, taking down Arkham Asylum in the second round. Arkham, who were the favorites by a long shot have built a reputation of falling short in the playoffs, but Valco sure had to put in work in order to advance. We should be in for a similar story in this one, as Tadpole has all the skill in the world and on paper looks like the easy pick in this one, but the good old Valco with @itspardytime up front should never be counted out. Prediction: 3-4 Valco   (3)  Destiny vs Synergy Hockey (10) Destiny is another one of those teams that are able to dominate games with sheer skill and excellent puck movement, but now they'll be going up against Synergy Hockey, a team that brings back a lot of memories for long-time community members. While perhaps not as individually skilled, these guys have patented a special brand of hockey, which is recognized by great puck movement and a strong five man defense. Synergy simply seems to be build for the playoffs and if they are able to employ their own style of play in this series, they'll be the ones to advance.  Prediction: 2-4 Synergy Hockey   (4)  Project X vs IK Oskarshamn  (7) Project X has been on an impressive run in the playoffs, advancing with relative ease from both rounds as they dropped only one win each. On the other hand, IK Oskarshamn has had to fight a bit more, especially in the first round against the 26th seed Lemmenvelhot. We should be in for a very tight series that comes down to small margins, but Project X might be the more established team by a bit, which tips the scales in their favor for me. Neither team is very known for scoring explosions, but especially Project X would benefit from keeping the scores low and extending the games, even into overtime if required. Prediction: 4-2 Project X   (5)  Bastu vs Spirit  (6) The Bastu is really heating up just in time for springtime and the biggest games of the playoffs. These guys have advanced through both of their opponents thus far quite easily and are looking to do the same against Spirit, who are naturally going to pull out all the stops in order to end their run. Spirit has been in even better form, sending both Resurrection and Hyperion packing with sweeps in the first two rounds. This one isn't going to be a sweep, that's for sure, but the offense of Bastu has a bit more sides to it, whereas Spirit has to rely a lot on @Toivonen_ to produce for them. This could also end up being a big battle between goalies @Giinis for Bastu and @Misantti for Spirit, and they are very close right now.  Prediction: 4-3 Bastu   Socials Here's an update to the social media instructions. Our sponsors this season are Kouvolan Lakritsi, St Hockey & Wilhelm. Twitter: When posting tweets of your lineups, matchups, recaps, clips, articles - or any other content you might want to create - please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag:  @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtag:  @SportsGamerGG #ECL22Spring #NHL22 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi #MukanaWilhelm Note: It is very helpful and critical for us to succeed in getting our partners tagged, so they get the necessary mentions and interaction to validate their participation in the future. That being said, it is understandable that there may be circumstances due to your other partners where you are unable to tag competition etc. Your support is appreciated. As there are quite a few hashtags by now, especially from a Twitter perspective with limited characters, we recommend using at least #ECL22Spring in the text part of the tweet and leave the sponsor tags for the end. If you need to cut out tags, remove #esports and #NHL22. For Instagram this shouldn't be an issue.

SportsGamers, A total of 24 teams reached the playoffs in the Neo division, and now we're down to only eight remaining. The top eight seeds had a bye week for the first round and some extra time to hone their game, and for the most part that advantage seemed to work well for them. Now it's time to start it all over again against new opponents. The third round of the playoffs will start on Monday the 30th of May 2022 and end on Thursday the 2nd of June 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Neo playoffs: Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO5) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO5) Semifinals: 05.06 – 08.06 (BO5) Finals: 12.06 (BO5) For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL 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.  Click here to view the matchups for the Quarterfinals of the ECL '22 Spring Neo Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

We are winding down towards the end of the regular season and while we had last week off from media coverage, the teams were still hard at action. Perhaps not as actively as usually, but regardless there were some games played here and there! At this point we're seeing most teams have already finished their games, but there's still a few meaningful battles to be played between tonight and tomorrow. As it stands right now, a minimum of 31 points will be required to make the playoffs, but we're expecting that total to rise by a bit as over the past five seasons, the average amount of points required has been at 32 and Roots Gaming, Conquer Gaming and Färjestad BK who are in the race for the final spots all have one matchup left to go. Let's take a look at the scenarios that could transpire as we head down the final stretch. Out of the teams that are currently sitting below the line, Färjestad is the only one who still has a chance to sneak into the playoff picture, whereas above the line it's looking tough for Conquer Gaming, who has a must-win matchup left against the Swiss lions ZSC Esports. That matchup in combination with FBK's bouts against JYP Jyväskylä will decide the fate for both of those teams. Färjestad isn't in particularly hot form as of late, but neither is their opponent and Christoffer @I-Maise-I Berntsson, Johan @McSavid Rundqvist and the boys will be giving it their all, that's for sure.  The relegation zone is also looking very interesting, with some very high stakes in the remaining games for these teams. Currently, IQUE is in last place, which would mean direct relegation for them, whereas Stargazing at 15th, JYP Jyväskylä at 14th and Falun Coal Miners at 13th would be in for relegation battles against up-and-comers from the Pro division. Thursday will feature a massive matchup between IQUE and Stargazing to determine who will end up facing relegation. After their sensational winter season, IQUE has fallen into tough times and are now clawing their way out of last place to salvage the future of their team in the Elite division, whereas Stargazing has had a rough go in their inaugural season at the top level. Regardless of the result, one of them will still have to fight for their spot in a relegation matchup.  JYP Jyväskylä, Falun Coal Miners and ZSC Esports all have one matchup left each, and they'll fight between the three of them for a spot in no man's land and a guaranteed continuation to their story in Elite next season. Both JYP and ZSC have the opportunity to spoil the postseason dreams of their opponents Conquer and Färjestad, whereas Falun is in for a tough battle against Roots, who are looking for at least two points in order to secure their 7th place, but could also pass HAVU Gaming for 6th if everything goes their way.  Barring any exceptional performances in the last few nights of play, we're also ready to crown Frölunda's Paul @PleeMaker Arontie both the top point producer and top goal scorer of the regular season despite him missing out on one game due to a walkover situation earlier this week. The highest scoring defenseman will be Teemu @Teemuyy Polttila for SAWO ESPORTS, who has seen some impressive growth with the added experience from his time in Frölunda and the increase in responsibility since moving on. In terms of goaltending, hREDS' Filip @Faze91- Azri is way ahead of the competition this regular season. Despite missing out on a few matches where Saku @Mehukatti10 Serttilä covered for him, he racked up an impressive 10 shutouts and is a level above everyone else in other statistical categories too. Follow the teams on social media to stay up to date on the schedule!

Last weekend, the Finnish FIFA national team participated in the FIFAe Nations Series Main Stage and managed to pave their way into the European Top 20 with a win over Belgium in the Knock-out stage. The FIFAe Nations Series Main Stage was played during Thursday, Friday and Saturday last week, and after a successful run in the group stage on Thursday and Friday, Finland finished 3rd in their Group A, matching them against Group C 2nd seed Belgium in the Knock-out stage. Belgium is known as a great team and previous matches against them had been very tough, putting Finland in a small underdog position heading into the big double-header on Saturday. The eventual winner would be decided based on aggregate score from both matches.  The Finnish team, consisting of Jesse @Kossu72 Kosamo, Jeremias @jerkosz Kosamo and Joona @Krompe Vaajala played well throughout the weekend and rotated playing turns regularly. Some consistency issues were evident especially early on both gamedays, but as the boys found their flow, they were tough to beat, manager Markus @MakezCR Moilanen was also very pleased with the performances of the weekend. On Saturday evening agains Belgium, Finland had a great opportunity to reach the Top 20 by winning the double header. The first game started off a bit slow, but after the first ten minutes of play, Finland was able to generate the first dangerous chance of the game and against all expectations, Kossu managed to surprise the keeper with a shot inside the back post. After 15 minutes of play, Finland had taken the lead. After the first goal, Belgium upped the tempo and came at the Finns with high and intense pressure, but it didn't cause any trouble for the playing duo Krompe & Kossu. As the half-time whistle inched closer, Finland was yet again able to create an almost identical chance to their 1-0 goal, and a very accurate finish put the score at 2-0 to and the first half. The second half saw Finland hold possession and minimizing chances for Belgium, and they didn't get any closer than hitting the crossbar. At the very end of the game, the Finns managed to break down the Belgian defense with a beautiful passing play, cementing the end result of game one at 3-0. The 3-0 Finnish lead heading into the second match put Belgium at a serious disadvantage and they needed to bring out their full arsenal in order to win. Once again, the hard pressure didn't yield any result and after 45 minutes of play, it was Finland who held the 1-0 lead after a cheeky lob finish by Kossu on a breakaway. The second half was a true scoring showdown. Belgium came out swinging and managed to score right out of the gate, and after that both teams traded chances and goals, seemingly on every attack. The second game finished at a 3-3 tie, meaning that Finland had won the matchup 6-3. Finland has came a long road to the European Top 20 and the players recognize that there's still a lot of hard work ahead to reach the FIFAe Nations Series final tournament in Denmark at the end of July. The next stage is the European Playoffs between the 16th and 19th of June, out of which 11 European teams will advance to the Top 24 in the world. "We're not done yet, now we're only one step closer to the goal we've set. Of course we're very satisfied with what we've done at the moment, but now we've got to start grinding again. We'll fix some small issues with our game and try to improve even more. If an when we get our bearings straight, we'll be able to take on anyone", Kossu summarizes.

SportsGamers, the Player Spotlight series is making its return with the objective of showcasing gamers that would perhaps otherwise fall outside normal reporting, but that we want to get to know better. Our strength is this community, so let's get to know each other! This time, we decided to head on a Central-European trip, and that's why we're venturing into the promised land of cheese, chocolate and quality watchmaking to get to know Lausanne HC captain Mirco @Tron1x90 Salvi, the country I'm referring to is Switzerland of course. The Italian Citizen has grown up in the city of Biel/Bienne and now calls it his home, and he's grown to love the local hockey club, who have played at the Swiss top level since 2008. 1. What was your first experience with the EASHL mode in NHL? I've played EASHL since the beginning on Xbox 360, I think it was in 2008 with NHL09. I started to play with one of my best friends @JuuMzz just for fun, we started by creating a club, but sometimes we played in the same lobby and selected the goalie on both sides, it was really fun. Then we played for five years with three other friends, but when the next generation consoles were released, some of our friends stopped playing. After winning a 1vs1 tournament in Zurich in 2018, an old friend @Freeman7187 asked me if I wanted to play with them, and that’s how my journey at SportsGamer started. The club was called The Black Jacks back then, but they're now known as ZSC Esports. 2. What’s the best part of playing for your current club Lausanne HC Esports? I've had a lot of support from the fans since the club of Lausanne HC started with this project in 2020. I also think covid helped with it to some extent, since the Swiss leagues were shut down, so the fans had more time to follow the esports games and they were maybe also in need of hockey, regardless if that was virtual or the traditional form. Sadly we won't be continuing our partnership alongside Lausanne HC after this season. 3. What is your greatest NHL gaming memory? In 1vs1 for sure my two Swiss national titles from 2021 vs @Original-SnuS and 2022 which I’ve won with Lausanne HC and also reaching the round of 16 of the IIHF fan tournament with Italy in 2020. In 6vs6 the win of ECL 7 Lite with The Black Jacks even if I didn't play a lot but a title is still a title. Personally, my most successful season was in ECL 11 with Grenoble when we lost the Bronze game but still managed to gain promotion to Pro. It was also a very good personal season as I ended in the top 5 of the highest scoring defensemen, both in the regular season (5th) and in the playoffs (2nd). Then in ECL 12 we managed to reach the playoffs for our first season in Pro with the new renamed team Spartiates x MCES after a very bad first half of season. I think I was the only one who was still believing for a spot in the playoffs. That was amazing because we could reach the spot on the last gameday. We then had a very tight and intense series against the team that would later be promoted, BoxinElite, where we pushed on to a huge game 7 and finally lost in OT. 4. Describe your perfect breakfast! A capuccino, fresh pressed orange juice and a French croissant. 5. You're GM for a day and get to pick any player for your 6v6 team but none of your current teammates. Who's in your starting six and why? I will change a bit and not chose the top players in the ECL, but I think this lineup could be the best with only Swiss players, like a national team: @Romy88 @Original-SnuS @Freeman7187 @Haldeem "Joker" @afc_Tschitsch 6. What was your dream job growing up and what do you currently do? As a kid, I always dreamed to become a professional football player. But I soon realized it wasn't possible because of my weak skills. I now work for the authorities, more specifically in tax collection. 7.  Do you play or have you played hockey? No, my skating skills are too bad. 8. What’s your best hockey memory? In 2008 when my hometown hockey team, EHC Biel/Bienne, was promoted to the Swiss elite division. The following two seasons, the team finished last in the ranking and had to play the promotion/relegation series against Lausanne HC, they could always save themselves and win the series in a close game 7, that is something I will never forget. 9. What do you like to do in your spare time besides playing NHL? I like to watch some football, hockey and NBA games, chilling out with friends and travel with my girlfriend. I also like to spend some time with family or friends at restaurant or having a beer. I watch series or play less competitive video games to unwind. 10. Pizza with three toppings, what are your choices? Nice question for an Italian guy! Tomato, raw ham and mozzarella cheese. 11. You're the locker room DJ and get one song to hype up your team. What do you play? Europe - The Final Countdown 12. How did you come up with your PSN ID? My name is Mirco, but some friends call me Komir, and I was born in 1990, so that’s how I chose that PSN ID. 13. Who’s the best player in the ECL according to you? Who else than @Eki? We don't even have to describe him anymore! And as a D-man @xDoumi, the way he has improved in the last years is amazing. I use him as a reference to improve my gameplay. If we compare our stats, we have a bit of a similar playing style, we use to have a lot of puck possession and a lot of assists instead of goals, we like to play as a playmaker from behind and find the right key passes. Of course, this comparison is made on a smaller scale given the skill difference! 14. Describe your ideal holiday! I haven't traveled much, but I've had the chance to discover beautiful places in Mexico, Florida, Greece and Italy. For me my ideal holidays are on the beach with a lot of sun, beautiful clear water and we also have to eat very well. So I think my best place was Sardinia at the moment, I can only recommend it. 15. Now it's up to you to suggest who we should interview next. Who do you want to hear from and why? The daddy cool @Hansulinho. I used to play against him in 1vs1 online versus in 2008-2009 and we were already competing for the top spots in the ranking. I was then surprised he was still playing on SG when I arrived on this website back in 2018. Feel free to also suggest who you'd want to see in the Player Spotlight-series - let us know in the comments below!

SportsGamers, We're one step closer to glory! The Core division playoffs have been running for quite some time already and now we're down to the top 16. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 15th of May 2022 and end on Wednesday the 25th of May 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Core playoffs: Round-of-64: 01.05 – 05.05 (BO7) Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO7) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO7) Semifinals: 05.06 – 09.06 (BO7) Finals: 13.06 – 14.06 (BO7) [Provisional date] For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for round 3 of the ECL '22 Spring Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

SportsGamers, Out of the 24 qualified teams, we're now left with only 16 in the Neo playoffs. Now also the top 8 will start their postseason runs and we'll see if they've used their bye week in a smart way on the practice ice. Let the action begin and may the best teams win! The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 15th of May 2022 and end on Wednesday the 25th of May 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Neo playoffs: Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO5) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO5) Semifinals: 05.06 – 08.06 (BO5) Finals: 12.06 (BO5) For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL 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.  Click here to view the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Spring Neo Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

The Wilhelm eHockey Tour has now toured all across the country and is heading towards Central Finland and Jyväskylä next! Some teams have already secured their spot in the TOP 32 playoffs, but there's still lots of time to rack up ranking points!   The teams have been divided into three groups and the Jyväskylä city tournament will be played in two stages, the group stage and the playoffs. Every team is guaranteed at least five to six games (the group stage), after which the top two and the best (based on PPG) 3rd placed team will continue directly to the playoffs. The remaining two 3rd placed teams will play a BO1 to determine the last playoff team. This will leave us with eight teams in total in the playoffs. See the full groups over at the league page - here. In the playoffs, the eight teams will be seeded based on PPG for each round and play a BO1 to advance. The top 3 teams will gain a direct spot into the TOP 32-stage of the entire Wilhelm eHockey Tour, whereas all other teams gain ranking points for participation. Ranking points add up throughout the eHockey Tour and will grant access to the TOP 32-stage for the top five teams without a top 3 city tournament finish. So, you'll have two ways to gain access to the TOP 32-stage: Reach the top 3 in a city tournament Rack up ranking points throughout the eHockey Tour in several city tournaments In terms of how the ranking system works, basically, the higher you finish, the higher you score. 1st 200p 2nd 150p 3rd 125p 4th 100p 5th-8th 75p 9th --> 50p The highest ranking teams will also receive awesome product prizes from our great sponsors! Let the action begin and we'll follow along to see who will be the next teams to secure a spot at the TOP 32-stage.

SportsGamers, 64 teams went to battle in the first round and they're now down to 32. It's time to ramp up the heat and the stakes are certainly high enough, who will be the teams to advance and to get one step closer to promotion. In Core, the playoffs consist of the top 8 teams from each group being seeded against other teams who finished in the same position (e.g. group winners are seeded #1-4, group runners-up are seeded #5-8 and so on.). The second round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 8th of May 2022 and end on Thursday the 12th of May 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Core playoffs: Round-of-64: 01.05 – 05.05 (BO7) Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO7) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO7) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO7) Semifinals: 05.06 – 09.06 (BO7) Finals: 13.06 – 14.06 (BO7) [Provisional date] For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL Rulebook below. Essentially, each series will be a best-of-seven and the higher seeded team will play 'at home' first, then alternate back and forth with the lower seeded team.  Click here to view the matchups for round 2 of the ECL '22 Spring Core Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

SportsGamers, It's time to kick off the playoffs in our Neo division! First of all, congrats to all teams who made it to this point, and to those who end their season now, we hope you'll be back stronger next time. A total of 24 teams have qualified, out of which the eight best teams based on PPG will receive a bye for the first round. The rest of the teams will be seeded based on PPG and play each other in the first round, after which we will continue as usual. The first round of the playoffs will start on Sunday the 8th of May 2022 and end on Thursday the 12th of May 2022. Here is a full schedule of the ECL '22 Spring Neo playoffs: Round-of-32: 08.05 – 12.05 (BO5) Round-of-16: 15.05 – 25.05 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 30.05 – 02.06 (BO5) Semifinals: 05.06 – 08.06 (BO5) Finals: 12.06 (BO5) For the relevant rules regarding these playoffs, please find extracts from the ECL 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.  Click here to view the matchups for round 1 of the ECL '22 Spring Neo Playoffs   Good luck for everyone!

After three city tournaments in the rearview, a good amount of teams have secured their spots in the TOP 32, but there's still room for more! This weekend, we'll find out what Oulu has to offer.   The teams have been divided into three groups and the Oulu city tournament will be played in two stages, the group stage and the playoffs. Every team is guaranteed at least four games (the group stage), after which the top two will continue directly to the playoffs. The 3rd placed teams and the best 4th (based on PPG) will play a BO1 to determine the two last teams to make the playoffs. This will leave us with eight teams in total in the playoffs. See the full groups over at the league page - here. In the playoffs, the eight teams will be seeded based on PPG for each round and play a BO1 to advance. The top 3 teams will gain a direct spot into the TOP 32-stage of the entire Wilhelm eHockey Tour, whereas all other teams gain ranking points for participation. Ranking points add up throughout the eHockey Tour and will grant access to the TOP 32-stage for the top five teams without a top 3 city tournament finish. So, you'll have two ways to gain access to the TOP 32-stage: Reach the top 3 in a city tournament Rack up ranking points throughout the eHockey Tour in several city tournaments In terms of how the ranking system works, basically, the higher you finish, the higher you score. 1st 200p 2nd 150p 3rd 125p 4th 100p 5th-8th 75p 9th --> 50p The highest ranking teams will also receive awesome product prizes from our great sponsors! Let the action begin and we'll follow along to see who will be the next teams to secure a spot at the TOP 32-stage.