OCE Regional Event 2 Championship Sunday Recap: Return Of The Gades

A line has certainly been drawn in the sand between the top 4, and rest of the chasing pack in OCE. With two champion, experienced lineups competing against two rising teams, who rose above, and who failed when it mattered most? Here are our highlights from the day.

Renegades Overcome Ground Zero In Thriller:

The two best teams in OCE for a while now, and a Stockholm rematch, promised to be a nail biting series, and it certainly delivered. RNG got off to an early lead with Fever nailing two shots, before GZ equalized the series 1-1 with Torsos chiming in for a big second game.

The series continued to see saw each way, with RNG putting the locks on defence to shut GZ out twice in a row, which paired with CJCJ’s sniping, set up a 3-1 lead. Although RNG looked a little off pace in the next couple, with Express’ shooting helping to tie the series 3-3, the Gades came up big when it mattered most, stopping a torrent of shots with Fever nailing the open nets to help secure to game 7 win.

Forkidden Take Revenge On Wolfpack:

A rematch of last week’s grand finals saw another awesome series come out between the two rising teams of OCE, Dire Wolves and Forkidden. From the get go in the series, Dire Wolves were fast and aggressive, essentially beating the kids at their own game to open up an early 2-0 lead.

After calling a tactical timeout, the kids continued by showing maturity beyond their years, putting clamps on their defence that would remain for the rest of the series, with Dire Wolves failing to even score in the last two games, with Forkidden securing a 4-3 win.

For a team known for mechanics and crazy plays, Forkidden showed calmness and good chemistry today, locking in a back to back top 3 finish and helping their major chances.

Ground Zero Falter To Young Prodigies Again:

They took them down last regional event, and the kids have done it once again, haunting GZ in their lower bracket runs. After going down 2-1 in the series following some beautiful shooting and mental games from the veterans, Forkidden found a way to rally back. Scrubbed only had one shot in game 4, but it was also the crucial sealer for the game off a perfect snipe, followed by a dunk pass from Superlachie to a Bananahead rocket opening up a 3-2 lead.

And that lead would prove enough to hang on to the victory, with a Superlachie left post snipe, Bananahead air dribble and Scrubbed solo play working to secure game 6, and the series 4-2. This is the second regional in a row where Forkidden have conquered Ground Zero, who now find themselves in a near impossible position to qualify for the major.

Renegades Dominate:

Forkidden may have gotten the upper hand last regional, but the Gades came out hungry for the win yesterday. Aside from a bizarre game 3, where all hell broke loose in a 6-2 loss, RNG’s defence and booming clears were near perfect, allowing just a goal in game 1 before two shut outs in games 2 and 4.

Leading the series 3-2, Forkidden fought tooth and nail in game 6, keeping the ball off the goal line and trying desperately to stay in the series. But at the 6:19 mark of overtime, a CJCJ snipe secured the game 3-2, and series 4-1, stamping their mark on the competition and securing vital points for major chances.