Pekedipeks

Hello, eHockey fans and players! It's finally the moment we've been waiting for: The start of the ECL '25 Winter regular season! In this article, let's take a look at 12 interesting teams and/or biggest favorites to win it all. Who are potential candidates to fight for an ECL Pro promotion this season? And of course, let's pick some of the players to watch closer from every group in the middle division of our five tiers of the European Championship League, ECL Lite. Group 1 Puck Over Glass Last season this team couldn't make their way into the Lite playoffs. Now it looks like they have something good brewing because they won the ECL '25: Pre-Season - Lite & Core tournament with an explosive performance! First, they topped their group with a solid 12-0-0-2 record but after that, they swept themselves all the way to victory winning every series 2-0, two of their players being top two in playoff points. That's already a very impressive progression compared to last season! Surely they are full of confidence because of this so it definitely would not be a shock to see these guys make a deep playoff run this season! Player to watch: Hydeee_24 MoDo Hockey After not getting into Pro through the Qualifier even though they came close, a lot depends on how they recover from that disappointment. They are still capable of achieving a good result in Lite like they did last season by going to the top 8 and being one win away from the semifinals. They have an organized and fairly physical playbook, in the Pro Qualifier, they recorded the most hits by far compared to others. Player to watch: MrXbox79 DEG eSports There is always an extra factor of interest towards teams affiliated with traditional ice hockey clubs. However, this team has also proven that they can play organized and well-structured team play. They had a nice playoff run last season in Lite going into the quarterfinals and losing there against the team that went to the finals. After that they got knocked out from the ECL Pro Qualifier in Stage 1 only with a small margin, since if their one overtime loss had turned into a win it would've been enough to make it into Stage 2. Being that close surely only gives them more hunger to achieve a Pro spot for the Spring season! Player to watch: MEAZZA1704 Group 2 Project X It has been a few seasons since we last saw this team, back in ECL '23: Spring - Pro. Now they are back led by their captain, one of the most recognizable names in ECL Lite this season - 2023 IIHF eWorld Champion JesseL2002. But there are actually a few players who represented Project X's previous roster. One of them is Torvelajr__ who has a very realistic chance to be one of the top if not the best goalies of this division. This team definitely has experience, individual skills, and probably also some kind of reunion spirit. If they get a smooth and consistent flow going through the season, they surely have a great chance for the championship. Player to watch: JesseL2002 KohKae Esports KohKae earned a straight promotion to Lite by being champions of ECL '24: Spring - Core. It's always fascinating to follow champion teams and see if they can continue the success from the lower division when moving up a tier. Obviously, it's hard to think of a better foundation for a new season than winning the previous one - especially when the team's roster has stayed almost identical. khassu-- - who had a clutch performance in their championship run being #1 in playoffs of both GAA (1.19) and save% (90.31) - stays as their starting goalie. Can he keep up that form? KohKae's defensive pair stays the same: Eashl_kalle and LihaPoni90, who both were top-scoring defensemen of the Core playoffs last season. Player to watch: khassu-- HC Pustertal eSports HC Pustertal, consisting mostly of Finnish players, represents the Italian hockey club as their official eSports squad. Hullued - who was an Elite goalie in Renascor last season, including one playoff series played - seems to play center now, but this isn't new business for him. Hullued has played roughly 50% of his career as a skater and 50% as a goalie in many different tiers and leagues and he seems to be like a Swiss army knife; any position and performance is solid. Pustertal's current goalie Kibk_RuZaKuZa had a great last season in Lite with Mights so it will be interesting to see if we will see the same kind of work between the pipes again. The also versatile Ollizhki27 is the definition of an experienced player. He has played ECL ever since ECL Season 1 in 2015, including ECL Pro and also different national leagues. Player to watch: Hullued Eisbaeren Lauf Gaming This club from Germany made its ECL debut already in ECL 12 and has been playing in different divisions since then. Most recently they played a few seasons in Pro and even though they never managed to make their way into playoffs there, I believe that experience playing against tough Pro opponents will be very useful in Lite. wobfighter saved 87.27% of the shots he faced in the Pro Qualifiers, which sounds decent considering they lost half of their games. I see him as a potential candidate for the top goalie of the Lite season. Eisbaren's expected top point scorer is none other than KenuFHR, who is a dangerous and sneaky forward if the opponent leaves him unguarded. My minimum prediction would be to see this team in the top 16. Player to watch: KenuFHR Group 3 Hopfensmoothie HC Hopfensmoothie HC is a Swiss team with some players who have Elite and Pro experience, such as originaL-SnuS from the top Central European team The Black Jacks / ZSC Lions. This is actually the former team for many other players on this HHC roster. Just like SnuS was for TBJ, he is also the captain of this HHC team and has been the leader on ice by being their top scorer both in the regular season and the playoffs last season in ECL Lite. I_Alex28_I was also one of their key players in the playoffs by scoring 12 points in 15 games played. He also made an impressive 44 points in 12 games played recently in the Lite & Core Pre-Season, where Hopfensmoothie showed that their members are still in strong form by finishing #1in their group with a 9-3-1-1 record. Hopfensmoothie made their way to the Lite quarterfinals last season and thus were entitled to take part in the Pro qualifier and surely could've been able to make a good result there. The team, however, decided to stay in Lite. They are definitely one of the teams capable of winning the championship this season. Player to watch: originaL-SnuS Sunne IK Esport Sunne IK is another team that missed the Lite playoffs last season but seems to have been leveling up their game exponentially. Their record was a very solid 11-1-1-1 in the Pre-Season, where they were also the top-scoring team with 96 goals, which is not a surprising number when looking at regular season and playoffs top scorers that are both full of Sunne guys. The big question is: Is Sunne able to keep that firepower since two of those top scorers apparently are not playing for this team anymore? After that in playoffs, they continued their good form, losing only three games, out of which two in the BO3 finals against Puck Over Glass. Comparing their current roster to last season's roster, it seems like they have kept their team core pretty patiently but they also made some moves like the signing of benjamint737 who should be a great goalie for Lite level with his Elite and Pro experience. Player to watch: benjamint737 Setelikerho Team with loads of Pro and even some Elite experience, so definitely any team playing against them should expect an opponent who is not shaking in tight situations and has trust in their team play because they are familiar with each other. In fact Jugi9, Tanski87, armoton-kaulin, Kozeec, and Jesse6115 all played previously in Supernatural so I guess this is kind of a rebranded team from that. Player to watch: Kozeec Group 4 Kikkakirja Kikkakirja went through the Pre-Season regular season with an 11-0-1-2 record and after that ran into the semifinals. Their game style actually seems to live up to their name (translation Deke Book/Trick Book) but still not at the cost of defending since only two teams had fewer goals against them compared to Kikkakirja's 28 goals allowed. Their RD Kahvinpapu already has some ECL Pro experience and has been doing a good job as an offensive d-men. Their captain PyroNiko__ also played Pro last season with N0VA, even though he didn't play many games he was efficient in those with over 2 PPG. Player to watch: PyroNiko__ Technical Disaster TED is already starting the 6th ECL season together. Solid Lite team season after season, this time they were also close to making it into Pro through the qualifiers but fell short in the last round. They still have familiar faces from their previous rosters, like key players Kaapo13 and wrlster who have both always been creating good results in Lite individually. It wouldn't be a surprise if Technical Disaster could reach the top of this division sooner or later. Player to watch: Kaapo13 VBO STARS Swedish team VBO STARS got a taste of gold medals a few months ago when they won the championship of SEC 16. While it was not the same exact roster as now, this team might actually be the team with most former Elite players this season in Lite; I-Bror-I, eBasstian, and Kattenj all played in the highest tier not too long ago, but none in the latest season, so will be interesting to see how their experience will carry on for this season in ECL Lite. Player to watch: I-Bror-I SSK Prospects Another Swedish team! One of the three ECL teams of Södertälje SK. Despite their name "Prospects", this team is not just a group of young guns. There are also many experienced players on this team - in fact, I would say players a little bit over the average age of ECL players. This mixed with some of their younger players could have a lot of potential if they find chemistry! Players like Viktorhall and HambergD who have many seasons played in Pro and sveti- could be great leaders in the group even in Elite, as well as experienced r4mme-0 who played Pre-Season for the dominant #1 seed team before signing with SSK. Player to watch: Viktorhall We want your clips! Did you make an incredible play or have a funny blooper? Share your best moments on social media using the hashtag #ECL25Clips and get a chance to be featured in our broadcasts. Social media Please tag @SportsGamerGG and use the hashtag #ECL25Winter when posting on social media. You can also use the hashtags #KouvolanLakritsi #eHockey. Also note that when editing your team info, you can add your social media accounts to your team information. The same goes for your player card. Season schedule Regular Season duration: 17.11-19.12.2024 Estimated finals date: Below is the estimated date for the Finals (BO7) to be approximately played. We reserve the right to changes in schedule. ECL Lite Finals 4.-5.2.2025 Good luck to all the teams as they hit the virtual ice. Have fun and let the games begin! Players mentioned in this article: @Hydeee_24@MrXbox79@Meazza1704@JesseL2002@Torvelajr__@khassu--@Eashl_kalle@LihaPoni90@Hullued@Kibk_RuZaKuZa@Ollizhki@wobfighter@Kenu@benjamint737@Kozeec@Jugi9@Tanski87@armoton-kaulin@Kahvinpapu@PyroNiko@Kaapo13@wrlster@Kattenj@eBasstian@svetidaje@Viktorhall@HambergD@r4mme@Original-SnuS@I_Alex28_I

Two great stories. Two impressive playoff runs. This all is coming to an end with an interesting final series between Darra Stars and KohKae Esports. In this article, we dig deep into the ECL '24: Spring - Core Finalists and what you can expect in this series. (5) Darra Stars vs KohKae Esports (14) By making it into the finals, both clubs have already secured their spot in ECL Lite division, but neither of them are getting ahead of themselves thinking of next season as they are hungry to end their season with a glorious victory. Let's have a look at how they got here, the statistics behind their runs, and also hear some of their thoughts! Darra Stars road to the finals: Round 1: 4-0 vs Clowns On Ice Round 2: 4-2 vs Moscow Capitals Quarterfinals: 4-2 vs Wida Semifinals: 4-2 vs Saucer Hockey KohKae Esports road to finals: Round 1: 4-0 vs TRAINING GROUND Round 2: 4-0 vs Lutunilkat Quarterfinals: 4-0 vs Prowlers Semifinals: 4-2 vs ARMEIJAN KURI Team Statistics Deep Dive Diving into statistics, the first comparison worth noting is their special team play. So far in the playoffs, KohKae has 42 powerplay opportunities scoring 9 powerplay goals (21,43%) compared to Darra Stars' 37 powerplays turning on the red light 6 times (16,21%). This statistic goes a little bit in KohKae's favor but it's so close that it's impossible truly to judge who has more firepower when on the man advantage. I believe this will be a fundamental and interesting point to follow in this series, especially since both teams' penalty minutes are also very close: KohKae 44 and Stars 50. Now, a word about puck possession and movement; Darra Stars' time with the puck in minutes 417:91 and KohKae's 350:41. Based on this difference, we might expect to see the Stars trying to build their plays with more discipline passing and having possession in the offensive zone while KohKae might be trying to get it done with a shutdown defense and counter-attacks. But speaking about passing, which team has been sending them with more precision into their teammates' stick blades? Once again, the stats are close, but with a slight advantage for Kohkae. Stars completed passes compared to attempted ones 2190/2831 (77,36%) and KohKae 1987/2489 (79,83%). It will also be interesting to see if either team will play a more physical game since that is another one of their statistical similarities in playoffs: Stars with 244 hits (11,1 per game) and KohKae 230 hits (12,8 per game). Individual Statistics and Players to Watch Like always, we can't talk enough about goalies so let's check how they have done their job so far. KohKae's @khassu-- has continued his outstanding performance between the pipes and like in our Semifinals Preview he sits in the #1 spot in both playoffs save% of 90.95% and goals against average of 1.06. Meanwhile, the #2 spot holder in GAA happens to be Stars goalie @MietuskaXIV with 1.73. It's safe to say at this point that we will have the top 2 goalies of the Core division having a showdown against each other! @Aika_Suklaata has continued his successful playoff run and is still sitting comfortably as the #1 Core playoffs point scorer with 27 goals, and 28 assists, totaling 55 points. Having a guy like this must give his teammates a lot of confidence, but obviously, this also puts some pressure on Aika_Suklaata to continue to be seen in the scoresheet throughout this final series. The same can be said about KohKae's @Joona41 who is the top goal scorer of the playoffs with 31 goals in 18 games played. It will be interesting to see how both teams have studied their opponents and which of these star players will turn out to be more valuable. Besides Aika_Suklaata, Darra Stars have two other players in the Top 8 playoff points: #3 @MrRelw with 12 goals and 34 assists, totaling 46 points and #8 @isoraitti10 25 goals and 16 assists, totaling 41 points. We have to go all the way to spots #23-25 to find second second-best KohKae point producers, @Royalcombat96 @TenkaRolle @Eashl_kalle everyone with 25 points. KohKae can't only rely on Joona41's magic when they know that the Stars have been shining with a wider set of top point scorers. They have to find more depth in their roster to be able to lift the trophy. Like we witnessed in the Stanley Cup finals - even if one guy tallys up absolutely ridiculous numbers, it may not be enough to achieve the final destination. Captain Interviews We had a chance to talk to the team captains before the finals, here's what they had to say: Do you know anything about your upcoming opponent's playstyle and are there any familiar players? @LihaPoni90, KohKae Esports: "Some Stars players are familiar to us, and whether we know how they are playing... i don't give any comments about that 😉" @Aika_Suklaata, Darra Stars: "We have been getting a little bit familiar with KohKae's playstyle already in casual games but also in eHockey SM 2024 when we were in the same group and played very tight games against them. They are definitely a playoff team and they deserve to be in the final - what an amazing playoff run. I'm sure that we will face a team that defends very hard, and plays a straightforward playstyle with counterattacks. They have been lacking in scoring depth but they made progress with that too in their semifinal series. Also @khassu-- has been the best goalie of these playoffs." Do you feel like your own team's playstyle and strategies have been staying similar and consistent during this season or have you gone through some kind of progress? @LihaPoni90: "We had a little break and missed last season (ECL '24: Winter), so the start of our season was a little bit of finding each other again. We had good games and bad games, the end of the regular season was okay. Our game got better and better, we tried different things and found things that work for us. Playing feels good and we have a very good team spirit! Confidence has grown bigger and bigger! And our goalie.. oh my! 🎩 Good to be captain of a team like this!" @Aika_Suklaata: "Our ECL '24 Winter Core season was a big disappointment because of a playoffs Round 1 exit, and because of that we had tough times with our lack of confidence and we were not sure about the future of this club. But participating in eHockey SM 2024 was a big step up for us because we learned how to play a better 5-man unit defense against tough teams as an underdog. Our trap has been poisonous for our opponents this season and it has been a big key point to our success now. Also, we got @MietuskaXIV to join us, a steady and stable goalie with experience from higher ECL divisions. Operating in the offensive zone has felt very secure when you know that you have goalie and defense like this." After winning your semifinal series, how have you prepared for the final? Lots of training sessions or more like a relaxed mindset? @LihaPoni90: "After the semifinals, we started our Street Hockey Tour in Helsinki, so some kind of training in real life! 😃 (btw, we won the tournament there!). But of course, relaxing is important too. Small training sessions this week and a little session before the finals! We are ready! 💪" @Aika_Suklaata: "After the semifinal, we just relaxed for a week but these days before finals we have been training. And yeah, we have been watching KohKae closely since Round 2 of playoffs." Predictions: @Pekedipeks: Darra Stars 4-3 @Pensasmies: Darra Stars 4-2 Follow the Playoff streams Games 1-2: Wednesday, June 26th, 20:45 CET: https://twitch.tv/LihaPoni90 (Game 3 will be played if the series is tied at 1-1) The rest of the series will be played on the SportsGamer Broadcast on Thursday, June 27th https://twitch.tv/SportsGamerGG Who do you think will win the ECL Core Championship? Are there any key points or factors that we may have not covered? Let us know in the comments!

We have entered the final stretch of the ECL '24: Spring Core season and there are only the top 4 teams remaining. Without further ado, let's take a look at our interesting semifinal matchups! Armeijan Kuri (2) vs KohKae Esports (14) Note: At the time of writing, Armeijan Kuri has a 2-1 lead in the series Armeijan Kuri has really shown army-like discipline all season long and is the top seed in our semifinals because KohKae managed to sweep the #1 seed team Prowlers in the quarterfinals, which was a surprise for everybody. Or was it? It's pretty safe to say that it wasn't a surprise for them after the playoff performance that they pulled off. They are unbeatable so far in the playoffs, which means they had 3 series long sweep streak. Sure, they are now down in this semifinal but the first 3 games have all been 1 goal games: 3-1, 0-1 OT, 1-0. Expect nothing less for the rest of these games! Both starting goalies already got a shutout each in this series. KohKae's @khassu-- is still number one in the playoffs GAA comparison with an impressive 1.27 goals allowed average, and Armeijan Kuri's @kasuri1 does not fall far from those numbers, although he has a crazy 5 shutouts and has been working his pads off with 222 saves. which is 70 more than khassu-- on the other side of the ice. @MutainenMalik has been continuing his great rookie season playoff run by not only contributing with points but also bruising up his opponents with 35 hits in this series so far. @Eashl_kalle is the top-scoring defenseman in the playoffs with 4 goals and also scored an important overtime game-winner for KohKae in game 2. @Joona41 has been showing firepower in these playoffs, scoring 28 goals in 15 games played, which makes him the top goal scorer of the playoffs at the time of writing. He needs to continue this if they want to turn this series around. Predictions: @Pekedipeks: KohKae Esports 4-3 @Pensasmies: Armeijan Kuri 4-1 (5) Darra Stars vs Saucer Hockey(8) Both of these teams had to go through relatively close quarterfinal series with several 1-goal games and overtimes. Comparing their playoff records we can see their route here has been quite similar: Darra Stars 11W-4L and Saucer Hockey 12W-6L. In my books, this series will be a defensive battle to see who can shut down the other's star players better. @Miggohell has kept going throughout this playoff run and is definitely Saucer's MVP so far with 18GP 15G+17A=32P and an impressive 127 interceptions. Stars forward @Aika_Suklaata has also been going strong with consistent performance and is the top point scorer of the semifinalists with 16GP 22G+20A=42P The goalie battle will be a very interesting one to follow as the goalies have almost identical save%, @MietuskaXIV 87.82% and @Mazu_Pizu 87.34%. Prediction: @Pekedipeks Darra Stars 4-2 @Pensasmies Darra Stars 4-3 Follow the Playoff streams: Please post dates, times and links for streams in the comments of this news story and social media, to help everyone find your team streams. Social media: 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 hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Spring #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Spring #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi We wish all teams the best of luck!

This article was co-written by @Pekedipeks & @Pensasmies: As we have reached the second round of the ECL ‘24 Spring in Core it's time to take a look at the matchups we have coming up! Prowlers (1) vs Huskies eSports (29) Prowlers showed us why they deserved that #1 seed with a convincing 4-0 Round 1 series win with a goal differential of 12-4. It is worth noting though that it wasn't a continuous blast of fireworks all series long for them since they had to take two of those wins after playing overtime. Prowlers did a solid job defensively in all 4 games, but big credit also has to be given to @Tizjeflen who has currently best save percentage of playoffs with an insane 91.18%. There is definitely no debate about who made the biggest upset of Round 1. After a series that was full of drama and controversy, the Huskies managed to win one of the biggest favorites in game 6. They lost the first two games kind of clearly, but then they made their Cinderella story happen or at least the first chapter towards that by winning four 1 goal games in a row, three of them being overtime wins. Grit from this experience could serve the Huskies' favor if this series goes too far from what Prowlers are hoping. Prediction: @Pensasmies: Prowlers 4-1 @Pekedipeks: Prowlers 4-1 Armeijan Kuri (2) vs Taskubilis (24) I pointed out in Round 1 previews that Armeijan Kuri had the best faceoff win% of the regular season and the same trend is still going on. Both of their centers have been top dogs on the dot. @SemiWasted has been cooking as Taskubilis' top-scorer with 6GP 10G+4A=14P but the safe pick for this series MVP is definitely @hefezuk85 with 6G+3A=9P in the first three games (series currently 3-0). If Taskubilis can't stop hefezuk and the rest of their ice forces, i can't see how this series would take many more games. Prediction: @Pensasmies Armeijan Kuri 4-2 @Pekedipeks: Armeijan Kuri 4-0 Capetown Kings (3) vs EV Duisburg (21) Capetown Kings got tested out hard by their Round 1 opponent after an intense series with 7 tight games. Their powerplay was the best of Core regular season, but so far after many tries they have only 1 powerplay goal in playoffs. EV Duisburg had 30 penalty minutes in their Round 1 matchup, so that needs to be changed if they don't want to give the Kings' special teams a chance to be reborn. Duisburg also had to struggle in the previous matchup when they had to take 3 out of 4 wins in overtime. I expect a tight series where the winner might be decided by penalties and simple things like puck possession. Players to watch: @GreatOne139 6GP 8G+8A=16P and @sambleri 7GP 6G+8A=14P Prediction: @Pensasmies: Capetown Kings 4-3 @Pekedipeks: Capetown Kings 4-3 (5) Darra Stars VS Moscow Capitals (18) This series will be a really interesting one as both teams have shown that they are very much a playoff team with both sweeping their opponents in the first round. Darra Stars is starting the series as a slight favorite to win it, but Moscow Capitals have also shown many promising performances. Darra Stars scored a ton in the first round, with especially @MrRelw and @isoraitti10 scoring almost 20 points each in only 4 games! Moscow Capitals had a less scoring sweep, but I am expecting their scoring to be even amongst all players. I recommend paying attention to @MycTau with the puck as he is the highest-scoring player in Moscow Capitals with also the least amount of time with the puck. Player to watch: @MrRelw Predictions: @Pensasmies 4-3 Darra Stars @Pekedipeks 3-4 Moscow Capitals Wida (6) vs HC Lugano Academy (16) Score at the time of writing: 2-1 Wida When taking a look at playoff player stats, this series stands out from the crowd with interesting facts: 4 players from the current top 5 scorers and top-scoring defensemen are playing in this series. Even though Wida won one game 0-6, every game has been relatively even stat-wise so I believe this will be decided by the firepower ability of these teams biggest names so far: @Palawatsch 9GP 15G+18A=33P and @nikitikitin 8GP 7G+22A=29P Prediction: @Pensasmies: Wida 4-2 @Pekedipeks: Wida 4-3 (7) Lutunilkat VS KohKae Esports (14) This is a matchup between two teams with a lot of experience, which was apparent already in the first round with both teams sweeping their opponents. I'm guessing this series will be a battle of goalies since both goalies have put up performances that have got both goalies almost a 90% save percentage. As Lutunilkat has had their point production spread evenly, KohKae Esports is completely different from this as @Joona41 has scored double the number of points from anyone else in the team in these playoffs. If Lutunilkat wants to win this series, they need to find a way to shut @Joona41 down. Player to watch: @Joona41 Predictions: @Pensasmies 3-4 KohKae Esports @Pekedipeks 1-4 KohKae Esports (8) Saucer Hockey VS Koskenlaskijat (13) Both teams had a good first round and are evenly seeded. I'm expecting this series to be a really tight one. Koskenlaskijat scored a ton in the first round, and I am expecting them to bring the same in this series, Saucer Hockey needs to keep their defensive zone clean and adapt to the attack of Koskenlaskijat. Both teams have had great goaltending throughout the playoffs and this series can also turn into a goalie battle. Player to watch: @Miggohell Predictions: @Pensasmies 2-4 Koskenlaskijat @Pekedipeks 4-3 Saucer Hockey (10) Silver Sword Griffins VS NAM3LESS (11) The most interesting series’ often are the ones that are between teams who are seeded close to each other, and this matchup is going to be a tight one that can definitely swing both ways. Silver Sword Griffins showed the ability to turn the really close games in their direction and that is something im expecting to be the key to winning this series. I'm also expecting to Silver Sword Griffins to fire with their whole lineup as their point production has been spread out through the whole team. Player to watch: @SchoolBoyz Predictions: @Pensasmies 4-2 Silver Sword Griffins @Pekedipeks 3-4 Nameless Follow the Playoff streams: Please post dates, times and links for streams in the comments of this news story and social media, to help everyone find your team streams. Who do you think will win each series? Let us know in the comments!

The ECL '24: Spring - Core regular season has concluded and we are entering the most exciting time of the year. In this article, we’ll go through all the matchups in round 1, see what the teams have accomplished so far and then get into the predictions of each series. ECL '24: Spring - Core Playoffs Round 1 schedule: Tuesday 21.5 Thursday 23.5 Sunday 26.5 Prowlers (1) vs Free from Rodents (32) 1st seed vs 32nd seed matchup. It would be bold to say an upset could happen here, right? The Prowlers have been a quality squad and definitely deserve their seed. As is often the case with top teams, they had the regular season’s top scorer, @RHannu, with an impressive 20GP 43G+23A=63P, and goalie @Tizjeflen with the 2nd best save percentage at 89.29%. On the opposing team, Free from Rodents, there are no players dominating individual stats with flashy numbers, but they clearly have team spirit and defensive structure in their playstyle. Evidence of this is their penalty kill, one of the best in Core, at 93.94%. The Prowlers definitely need to sort that out, but Free from Rodents’ biggest problem might be their ability to score. Among the teams that qualified for the playoffs, they were the lowest-scoring team with 45 goals (compared to the Prowlers’ 78 GF). Since these teams were in the same group, let’s look at how the points were shared: 4-2 in favor of Free from Rodents. It will be interesting to see what happens in this Swedish matchup! Prediction: Prowlers 4-3 Armeijan Kuri (2) vs Hunters (31) Hunters started their season struggling with a 6-game losing streak but managed to battle their way into the playoffs. Armeijan Kuri maintained a stable performance all season long, which was enough for a pretty safe top seed in their group. When they lost, it was by a maximum of 2 goals. The most interesting stat about Armeijan Kuri is their faceoff wins, leading Core with 57.06%. Hunters can expect a lot of puck possession and maybe many set plays from faceoffs by their opponent if they can't handle that. Individual talent is pretty even between these teams, with Armeijan Kuri’s top scorer @MutainenMalik(18GP 23G+31A=54P) and Hunters’ @MyLittleTomi(20GP 29G+22A=51P). Prediction: Armeijan Kuri 4-2 Capetown Kings (3) vs Spartans eSport (30) These are two teams that are pretty recognizable from competing actively in recent seasons! A key point for this series is the best power play of the Core regular season: Capetown Kings with 32.65%. Spartans definitely can’t let them score on every third PP if they want to cause trouble. A big thanks for the Kings' efficient power play goes to @sambleri, who was not far from the division’s top scorer title, ranking 4th with 18GP 27G+31A=58P. Spartans didn’t have anyone close to that, so it will be interesting to see if anyone steps up to put the puck where they want it to be. Probably not an easy task when the opponent has @Acedi- between the pipes, who has been solid as a rock with the best GAA of the regular season at 1.5. Prediction: Capetown Kings 4-1 PANIC ON ICE (4) vs Huskies eSports (29) Our last pair of group winner vs 8th seed. Again, there's something too significant not to mention first: power plays and penalty kills. PANIC's crazy 91.43% PK vs Huskies' 7.14% PP. I know Huskies in the cold are like fish in water, but hey, looking at those numbers, I would expect nothing but North Pole level cold. The obvious choice for the most interesting player of this series is the top-scoring defenseman of the regular season, @Wpaanane, with 18GP 3G+31A=34P. Playing his second season in a row in Core after plenty of ECL Elite experience, he brings a lot of achievements from higher divisions. However, if the top guy has one bad game, how will the rest of the team react, and how would that affect their winning mentality? Regarding Huskies, the big question is the goalie situation. Three goalies have played an almost identical number of games with similar stats. So, who will play? This series is a Finnish team vs a German team, so with PANIC's home server advantage, there should be no surprises. Prediction: PANIC ON ICE 4-1 Darra Stars (5) vs Clowns On Ice (28) Another cross-server matchup, and in this series, I think it could play a bigger role than in others. These teams were also in the same group, so let’s look at their games: Darra Stars lead 5-1 in points with a 7-4 goal differential. Stars' top scorer @Aika_Suklaata was 3rd in points with 58. Darra Stars were the only team to have a perfect last 10 games in the regular season with a 10-0-0 record. Their top 3 scorers had more points than Clowns’ top scorer. I believe the server disadvantage for this Central server team is too big a mountain to climb. Prediction: Darra Stars 4-0 Wida (6) vs Knogmackers HC (27) In order for Knogmackers HC to solve Wida, they have to figure out the great defense and goaltending duo in @Mise13 (88.00%, 1.80 GAA, 1 shutout) and @P3ppu116 (86.44%, 1.60 GAA, 3 shutouts). Wida is going to have a hard time choosing who to put between the pipes! Players to watch: @nikitikitin 20GP 29G+30A=50 P @Molander13 20GP 23G+30A=53 P Prediction: 4-1 Lutunilkat (7) vs Wildcats Esport I (26) A team with maybe the most entertaining streams of ECL vs a classic French organization. And another cross-server series. I always consider that worth mentioning because, for example, if we take one random matchup vs another Finnish team from Wildcats: home game 2-3W, away game 0-8L. This shows that maintaining consistent effort between servers is one of the hardest things to do in this video game. When playing best of 7, this usually shows up even more. Lutunilkat’s top scorer @Pyssyh really lived up to his name and was top 5 in scoring for the regular season with 31G+27A=58P, while nobody from Wildcats was in the top 50. Wildcats' PP and PK are slightly better, but if Lutunilkat's captain stays out of the box, I don’t see that as a problem. Lutunilkat has produced consistently throughout their lineup, and Wildcats are having a tough time finding answers for that. Prediction: Lutunilkat 4-1 Saucer Hockey (8) vs Bare Knuckles Hockey (25) Saucer is bloodthirsty for these playoffs after last season’s disappointment. Their opponent, Bare Knuckles, is maybe the most physical team in Core this season with over 600 hits. Probably because of that playstyle, they had the most penalty minutes in their group, so they have to be careful. Top scorers @taikatomi and @Miggohell had almost the same amount of points, both scoring a little over 40 points. Prediction: Saucer Hockey 4-3 Koppibuutti (9) vs Taskubilis (24) Players to watch: @Adelyn10 87.61%, 1.91GAA, 5 shutouts @Jalitmane10 20GP 14G+20A=34P Prediction: Koppibuutti 4-0 Silver Sword Griffins (10) vs IceVikings (23) Silver Sword Griffins’ hearts were broken last Core season after they were the 1st seed in the playoffs but got swept in Round 2. So, I believe they are very bloodthirsty and motivated to show what they can do. SSG has a solid PK at 87.18% against IceVikings' 10.42% PP, which could mean SSG will play with high-risk, high-reward stick defense and hits because they trust they can shut down the opponent's ineffective power play. Players to watch are IceVikings' @bnkoXD (22GP 23G+16A=39P) and SSG's @martinssilins (20GP 23G+16A=39P). Prediction: Silver Sword Griffins 4-3 NAM3LESS (11) vs Pulp Odyssey (22) A matchup between two Finnish teams. On paper, Nam3less would be the clear favorite to win, but looking at the top 12 seeded teams, they have the worst power play at 11.63% against Pulp Odyssey’s solid PK at 89.74%, which raises some questions. Prediction: NAM3LESS 4-2 Calippo HC (12) vs EV Duisburg (21) A series of goalies. Player to watch in this series from Calippo: @SweMelle5041 with the best save% in the regular season (90.3%). From Duisburg: @MarvinJVfL1848 with the 4th best save% (88.47%). Prediction: Calippo 4-2 Koskenlaskijat (13) vs Nürnberg Nidhoggr (20) Out of all the series, this one might have the closest goal differential with Koskenlaskijat 67GF 53GA and Nürnberg 56GF 58GA. Top scorers and also picks for players to watch are @Duracellii (20GP 29G+16A=45P) and @ITA-Pizzabaecker (18GP 16G+14A=30P). Prediction: Koskenlaskijat 4-3 KohKae Esports (14) vs TRAINING GROUND (19) A high-shooting Czech team with over 400 shots taken in the regular season and an impressive 91.89% PK (now against KohKae’s 17.39% PP) are looking to have a great battle even with the server disadvantage. I feel like Training Ground has the typical Czech & Slovakian team-first mentality, especially in their own end. Expecting them to play high-risk in this series because of their great PK and a lot of shooting. But it could be that KohKae's greater ECL experience as a team could turn this series for them. Players to watch: @Joona41 (22GP 19G+32A=51P) 51P) and @MikyGBRo (22GP 25G+28A=53P). Prediction: TRAINING GROUND 4-3 Update: At the time of releasing the article, it turns out KohKae swept the series 4-0! Crazy Capricorns (15) vs Moscow Capitals (18) Players to watch: @Schuster060796 (20GP 22G+24A=46P) @AkimkaRUS (22GP 7G+27A=34P) Prediction: Crazy Capricorns 4-2 HC Lugano Academy (16) vs Aake Kallialan Laituri (18) Players to watch: @Tykylevits(20GP 16G+39A=55P) @I-THE_EAGLE-I (18GP 17G+27A=44P) Prediction: Aake Kallialan Laituri 4-3 Who do you think will win each series? Are there any key points or factors that we may have not covered? Let us know in the comments!

ECL '24: Winter - Lite Finals Previews HEXA eSports (3) vs Bone Breakers (2) As the ECL '24: Winter - Lite Finals approach, the anticipation for the showdown between HEXA Esports and Bone Breakers reaches a fever pitch. Both teams have been on a tear since the start of the season, and their paths now converge in what promises to be a classic finals clash. HEXA Esports, after a commanding first-place finish in Group 1 and a stellar #3 seed entry into the playoffs, has been the epitome of French eHockey excellence. Their journey to the finals, marked by a 16W-2L record, has been impressive, with their only losses being closely fought one-goal games in the semifinals. @AdriF_23 has been a tour de force for HEXA, finishing 4th in regular-season scoring with an impressive 92 points (46+46), and continuing his sharp scoring pace into the playoffs. The team’s offensive output has been a collective effort, with every forward notching over 40 points in just 18 games. However, HEXA's key to success isn't solely in their smart offensive plays; their defensive game has been just as crucial. They boasted the best penalty kill rate in the Lite regular season, tied with Technical Disaster, at a formidable 91.68% PK. This defensive solidity allows them to confidently engage in "high risk-high reward" plays, knowing their shorthanded game can withstand the pressure. The trust in their penalty killing extends to their goaltender @x-Ne057, who has anchored the defense with top-five finishes in save percentage, GAA, shutouts, and most wins during the playoffs. The defensive prowess of HEXA is further bolstered by their starting defensemen pair, @ThomC15 and @Tromi13, who are not just one-dimensional; They lead the D-men stats in points, plus/minus, and blocked shots, making them a cornerstone of HEXA's fantastic postseason run. On the other side of the rink, Bone Breakers have shown they are an offensive behemoth. @x-_-BoBi-_-x, with a breathtaking 97 points (47+50) in the regular season and an aggressive play that led them to top their group, has been a scoring machine. Supported by @Valee__, who tallied 84 points (27+57), they've created an offense that has consistently overwhelmed their opponents. The Bone Breakers will undoubtedly test HEXA's disciplined defense with their scoring prowess. Despite their offensive orientation, Bone Breakers have not neglected their defensive duties either, as seen in the regular season with a goals-against average of just 1.91. The goaltending of @rransu, with an 83.99% save rate and a 1.75 GAA, will be pivotal against HEXA's multifaceted attack. The ECL Lite Finals stage is set for a colossal battle of style and strategy. HEXA Esports' balanced and strategic gameplay, characterized by stellar defense and disciplined offense, will collide with the Bone Breakers' high-octane attack and robust goaltending. With both teams boasting remarkable records and a lineup of star players, these finals are shaping up to be something you will want to watch from start to finish. As fans from the eHockey community eagerly await, one question remains: which team will execute their game plan to perfection and emerge as the ECL '24: Winter - Lite Champions? The answer awaits in what promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the season. Pekedipeks prediction: Bone Breakers 4-3 ChatGPT Prediction: HEXA Esports to win 4-3. The ChatGPT prediction favors HEXA Esports, banking on their superior defense and penalty kill to edge out the high-scoring Bone Breakers in a nail-biting 4-3 series win. May the best team win! How to follow the Finals Monday, February 19, 21:15 CET - Games 1-3 Tuesday, February 20, 21:15 CET - Games 4-7 Join our broadcast team on Monday and Tuesday at 21:15 CET to enjoy the complete series live at https://www.twitch.tv/sportsgamergg ECL '24: Winter - Lite Prize Pool: Social media: 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 hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi We wish all teams the best of luck! PS: We are looking for writers: If you are interested in contributing to making the ECL coverage better, please get in touch with @Kenu.

It's time for the ECL '24: Winter - Core Semifinals, and without further ado, let's jump into our Semifinal Preview! Schedule Playoffs (BO7) Semifinals: 23.-29.1. Finals: 31.1.-1.2. * * Dates are subject to change as broadcast productions are confirmed. Semifinal Previews: Matchup 1 SACK BROTHERS (2) vs BushWhackers (12) Between these two matchups, this one could be probably called some kind of a David vs Goliath matchup, although both teams have skilled individuals and good team chemistry. Sack Brothers have a lot of experience from many seasons in ECL Lite, Pro, the Elite Qualifiers, and as a matter of fact, they won the ECL Lite 10 championship back in the day with some of the same players in their current lineup. On paper, Sack Brothers could have arguably the best roster in the Core division this season and that could indeed be the case since they finished the regular season as the #2 seed and have been going strong playoff run recording only 2 losses so far. Their expected starting goalie in this series @Janucek has been outstanding between the pipes with a save percentage of 92.41 and a GAA of 0.86 being #1 in both stats in the playoffs. Speaking about stats-leading players, C/RW @Jjomppa has been one of the most point-producing players in Core, finishing #2 in the regular season (41G+53A=94P) and is leading the playoffs in points (37G+18A=55P) with a remarkable difference to other names on the top and making it even more impressive; in a significantly lower amount of games played than anyone else in the top 5. And if that's not enough to think about for BushWhackers, @snippystatue is currently #6 (22G+19A=41P) so they really have to figure something out to stop them from continuing point-bursting like that. That being said, stopping firepower is something that BushWhackers managed to do, as their solid defense and @HiBaZiBa- finessed 3 shutouts in the Quarterfinals, where they defeated last season's Core champion HC Gaming (previously named French Eagles), whose every 3 starter forward is currently in the top 5 in playoff points. While Sack Brothers is the more experienced team and have mostly dominated their way to the semifinals, for most players in BushWhackers this has been the second or even first season in the ECL. For example, @BounTy JokerZ is having his debut season, yet finished #4 in regular season points (28G+64A=92P), and @Pensasmies finished his second regular season in a row as a top 2 in points for defensemen. After just barely missing playoffs last Core season, rebranding the team, and the addition of @hifk_FANI as a versatile player rotating on different positions yet still #5 in defensemen points and @esdor bringing big energy in the roster they have been taking big steps at growing their team together and showing up with a solid 6 so far just at the times when they have been needing it the most. After beating the previously mentioned reigning champion in the rollercoaster series in game 7, also beating Lutunilkat in an entertaining thriller series in game 7 shutting off their deadliest weapon @Wpaanane in the series before that, they surely have every bit of confidence needed to take one extra win in the do-or-die moments. If this series needs a game 7 again, maybe this will be an advantage for BushWhackers? Another interesting thing to follow is how former Pro teammates - hifk_fani vs @IKarkkiI & jjomppaa - from RCTIC will play against each other. Both sides would definitely love to take the final spot over familiar faces. Maybe it gives a different approach compared to their previous series in these playoffs as they might know what tricks the opponent has up their sleeves? Prediction: @Pekedipeks: Sack Brothers 4-3 How to follow the series Sack Brothers feed: https://twitch.tv/snippystatue BushWhackers feed: https://twitch.tv/pensasmiess Semifinal Previews: Matchup 2 Mights (7) vs Belissimo (9) Mights was formed during the offseason and as a new squad had some ups and downs at the beginning of the regular season. They also had some mid-season roster changes but in the end got their puzzle pieces together and finished second in Group 1 with seed #7 into the playoffs. Instead of having one top-scoring player, all of their three main forwards got points evenly throughout the regular season. Their defense has been solid with a brilliant PK% (92.45) in the regular season and @Madladcas making huge saves which also may have been the biggest key point of their playoff run. They have been playing with a convincing mentality when playing under pressure, being 1-3 down in the round 2 series against Rusty Bulls, yet managed to scramble their way to a game 7 win. And not only that, but manager another 7-game series win right after that in the quarterfinals against Aspyre Dragons. On the other side of the ice to face this newly-formed defensive team is Belissimo - the team who have played together for a few seasons having made their debut as a team in the ECL 12 season. Will there be any kind of difference seen due to more experience playing as a squad? While Mights did not have any skaters as the top scorers in the regular season, Belissimo's d-men @SirSamul1 and @Pyllyhaiseva both were productive ending the regular season as #3 (16+25=41) and #6 (5+32 = 37) in defensemen points. When two possibly even lineups of similar playstyles meet, a goalie battle could be a big factor in deciding the outcome of the series, which I would also predict to be pretty even as Belissimo's goalie @Odexm also has been doing a great job in the playoffs being #4 in save percentage (82.99). Both teams' goalies have been doing a decent amount of work to achieve this with 16 & 17 games played in 3 rounds. Prediction: @Pekedipeks: Belissimo 4-3 @hifk_FANI: Belissimo 4-3 How to follow the series Gotham Knights feed: https://twitch.tv/madladcas ECL '24: Winter - SportsGamer Wraparound: The Wraparound covers what's been happening in the ECL '24: Winter - Elite, Pro, Lite, Core & Neo Divisions. We also look at the results for the first two Leijonat eHockey tournaments and the excitement of the PlayStation Showdown. ECL '24: Winter - Core Prize Pool: Social media: 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 hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi Instagram: When posting on Instagram, please make sure to tag the following accounts and hashtags when possible: @SportsGamerGG #ECL24Winter #eHockey #NHL24 #esports #kouvolanlakritsi We wish all teams the best of luck! PS: We are looking for writers: If you are interested in contributing to making the ECL coverage better, please get in touch with @Kenu.