ECL Elite Weekly Recap : Week 2

NHLGamers,

After the second week of ECL 10 Elite action, we still have two teams continuing their perfect run and an expected top four to lead the pack.

The two teams in the hottest form are HAVU Gaming and JYP Jyvaskyla, who are continuing their perfect streaks with 10 and 8 wins respectively. Reigning champion Linkoping HC suffered a 2-3 loss at the hands of KOVA Esports in a somewhat surprising outcome, whereas hREDS are currently sitting at fourth place after a shaky start that they've slowly started turning around with the lead of especially wingers Joakim @Joukki Nyholm (7+10) and Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen (10+3), who really revved up their offensive engines this past week.

The most active team besides hREDS has been SJ Gaming, who are in 5th place with 13 acquired points in 12 played games. SJ is a squad that narrowly missed the playoffs in ECL 9 and has been eager to show what they are capable of in their new fresh colors. The teams performances so far have been consistently inconsistent, but staying at a point average pace of 1.1 would indicate securing a playoff spot based on earlier seasons. Teams such as KOVA Esports, BRAYCE Phantoms and Roots can be found in the middle of the pack, but in a tight division, changes will and are expected to happen quickly. 

Some interesting stories are also emerging from the bottom half of the table, where we somewhat surprisingly find a team like Unlucky Boys HC, who have arguably had a particularly difficult schedule and should improve in the coming rounds. An interesting note from Thursdays matchup against Farjestad BK is that UB recruited superstar winger Vili @Vilupoika Häkkinen to fill in for their mainstay LW Joona @JimBoo Muona who had some technical difficulties. GHETTO FIREBIRDS on the other hand have expectedly had a tough time, but managed to take a number of games into overtime which would be a great thing if they could convert these into victories. The overtime curse seems to have been overturned last night when GHETTO successfully snagged their first full set of points with a 1-0 OT win and 4-2 win against Lulea Hockey, who have been underperforming to start the season.

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK

On Wednesday, Roots matched up against Linkoping HC and managed to steal a point in a tight battle. Goaltender Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari kept the game even with seconds to spare with this massive save: 

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Frank @Mannheimer1938 Münch, BRAYCE Phantoms

The captain of German pride BRAYCE Phantoms has really risen to the occasion after a tough last season and some turbulence that the team has experienced. With six points in four games this past week, this experienced gamer earns himself the spot as our defender of the week.

Honorable mentions: Joel @jtorro1233 Tourunen (LHC)
 

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari, Roots

Swag has made a name for himself in the community by utilizing a very aggressive playing style, which once again is showcased in the performance of the week shown above. His performances this season has secured his team some important points and having a top tier backstop combined with stellar defensive play has led to only conceding 14 goals in 8 games so far.

Honorable mentions: Oskari @sibeelius Grönroos (JYP), Joonas @Jombb- Koivukoski (Gotham)