WILKES-BARRE, PA (April 29, 2021) -- Sophomore Gabe Gillespie, who was named as the captain of the King's College Esports Hearthstone squad back in November, has done as much for the program as maybe any other person on the roster. A mentor, leader and very skilled player, Gillespie deservedly earned his spot in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Hearthstone Emergents Division Final this spring. Unfortunately, Gillespie saw some draws go against him as he fell 3-1 to No. 4 seed Ev Angel of Johnson & Wales University in the title match Thursday evening. 

In the final match, both players went to their Hunter decks to start the match and Ev Angel got the upper hand with a victory to take the first game 1-0. Gillespie rallied back with an emphatic victory in the second game, using his Hunter deck to top the Demon Hunter set-up from Ev Angel in a decisive victory. The third game was the turning point, as the King's captain went to his Rush Warrior deck while Ev Angel returned to his Demon Hunter cards. Gillespie wasn't able to fend off the aggressive nature of the Demon Hunter, as Ev Angel earned a 2-1 edge going to the fourth game. 

In the fourth contest, Ev Angel needed to only take a victory with his Mage deck while Gillespie went with his Warlock deck looking to take the game to fatigue to force the Mage deck into no options. The plan worked exactly how Gillespie would have wanted, but some amazing pulls for Ev Angel on the second-to-last turn set up lethal on the next turn after a tap from Gillespie to seal the deal. 

It was a still an amazing run for Gillespie, who hadn't lost since Week 3 of the NECC Regular Season, going 7-2 in the regular season and finishing with an overall record of 8-3 on the season.