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We’re a few weeks into the Elite League season and a handful of teams have already proven themselves as surprise packages. The Fife Flyers and Manchester Storm were widely tipped to miss the playoffs, but a strong start to the season has shifted the narrative in early October.
The Flyers were exceptional this past weekend, beating the Dundee Stars by multi-goal margins on back-to-back nights. Shortly after his appointment as Fife head coach, Tom Coolen promised to ice a team that supporters would be proud of – already, his pledge is being realised.
Stephen Desrocher and Johan Erikkson were no-brainer inclusions in this edition of British Ice Hockey team of the week, with the Flyers duo starring against their rivals from Dundee.
Matt Ginn’s Storm also warrant praise for their hammering of the Nottingham Panthers on Sunday [8 October].
Elsewhere in the Elite League, the Belfast Giants swept the Guildford Flames and Cardiff Devils aside to start their title defence with four points from four. The Sheffield Steelers also won, defeating the Coventry Blaze at an increasingly foggy Skydome Arena.
With that in mind, here are our team of the week picks for gameweek three.
Netminder: Tyler Beskorowany, Belfast Giants
Tyler Beskorowany, a cornerstone piece of Adam Keefe’s roster in Belfast, continues to prove himself as the best netminder in the Elite League.
The Canadian was forced to stand on his head at times against the Devils and Flames, earning a .956 save percentage on the weekend.
Beskorowany was especially impressive on the road in Cardiff, where he helped the Giants claim an important win against a title rival despite heavily losing the expected goals battle.
The 33-year-old denied three high-danger scoring chances versus the Devils, including a pair of attempts taken from the top of his crease by Joey Martin and Ryan Barrow.
The Giants would not be sitting pretty with a four-point weekend if not for Beskorowany’s standout efforts.
Defenceman: Jeff Baum, Belfast Giants
Jeff Baum was another impressive performer for the Giants in gameweek three, scoring twice in Belfast’s 5-1 win over Guildford on Saturday.
The 27-year-old is always a reliable defender for Keefe, who turned to the American as his team successfully killed an extended powerplay in the final minutes against Cardiff.
Unlike Charli Curti, whose eight penalty minutes cost him a place in the team of the week, Baum remained composed throughout the weekend and helped his team squeeze over the line with two important wins.
Defenceman: Stephen Desrocher, Fife Flyers
Desrocher is a low-event defenceman who deserves his flowers for his middle-pair solidity in Fife.
Playing alongside Adam Howell, the 27-year-old finished the weekend with an assist and a plus-four on-ice goal difference.
Descrocher is unlikely to set the world ablaze with his offensive contributions this season, but that won’t matter provided he continues to win his minutes and play an intelligent shutdown role for the Flyers.
Forward: Will Merchant, Manchester Storm
Will Merchant is a serious player.
The 29-year-old arrived in Manchester this summer and has already amassed fan-favourite status by scoring six points in six appearances for the Storm.
Merchant was superb versus the Panthers on Sunday, scoring twice and providing an assist to lead Manchester to a 7-4 win.
The American’s performance is made more remarkable by the fact he recorded a season-low 18:22 time on ice. Talk about efficiency.
Forward: Brett Neumann, Sheffield Steelers
Brett Neumann dominated the Blaze on Sunday, recording two points (one goal, one assist) and amassing a personal best 1.18 expected goals.
It was a breakout moment for the Canadian, who established himself as an offensive force last term but went pointless through his first three appearances of the campaign this time around.
Neumann is well-liked for the dynamic offensive style he contributes to Aaron Fox’s attack and will hope to use his performance in Coventry as a launching pad for his season.
Forward: Johan Eriksson, Fife Flyers
Johan Eriksson clinches the final spot in our team of the week for a pair of sensational performances for the Flyers.
The Swede started the weekend with a three-point night (two goals, one assist) in a 6-3 win over Dundee, before adding another assist to his tally in a 4-2 road win over the same opponent.
Eriksson has seven points in three appearances on the season, starring alongside Kyle Osterberg and Troy Lajeunesse on Coolen’s top offensive unit.
If he sustains this level of production, a place in the end-of-season all-star team is a possibility for the 30-year-old.
