This Elite League Team of the Week comes from one of the most important weekends of the season so far.
It was a key stretch in both the Challenge Cup semi-finals and the regular-season title race. Points were hard to come by. Several contenders slipped up and the table feels tighter as a result
With that, let’s dive into our Team of the Week picks.
Elite League Team of the Week: Round 23
Matthew Greenfield, Sheffield Steelers:
Matthew Greenfield, Sheffield Steelers (Image: James Assinder)
With the Sheffield Steelers’ title hopes on the line, Matthew Greenfield stood tall.
The Canadian made 28 saves on 30 shots to backstop Sheffield to a hard-fought 5-2 win over the Cardiff Devils on Valentine’s Day, keeping Aaron Fox’s squad in contention.
David Clements, Coventry Blaze:
Always on the fringes of the national team picture, David Clements has always been underrated outside Coventry.
The 31-year-old, now up to 132 points (31 goals, 101 assists) in 555 Elite League games, was at his very best as the Blaze shocked Belfast in the first-leg of their Challenge Cup semi-final.
Clements finished the night plus-1, tallying a primary assist on Grayson Constable’s game-winning goal and making a string of key defensive plays.
Poised with the puck on his stick during the breakout, Clements added another helper to his tally on Saturday, with the Blaze beating the Dundee Stars 6-2 on home ice.
Brien Diffley, Sheffield Steelers:
Brien Diffley also stood out in Sheffield’s vanquishing of the Devils, posting two assists from the blueline.
The American was held off the scoresheet by the Coventry Blaze, ending his five-game streak, but his catalogue of defensive plays tell the story.
Diffley is a Team of the Week lock this time around.
Kaleb Ergang, Manchester Storm:
The Manchester Storm and Glasgow Clan shared the spoils from their weekend series, with both games requiring overtime.
Kaleb Ergang played an oversized role on proceedings, scoring and providing a secondary assist en route to Manchester’s Sunday night win.
He also tallied in the Storm’s Friday evening loss, feeding Loren Ulett for his second period strike.
Brandon Whistle, Belfast Giants:
Denying Brandon Whistle a Team of the Week berth would’ve been criminal.
The 28-year-old scored a hattrick in the Giants’ 4-2 road win over the Nottingham Panthers on Saturday — not bad going for a 15-minute outing.
Cole Ully, Guildford Flames
Cole Ully takes the final Team of the Week slot for the same reason as Whistle: he scored a hattrick, albeit in a losing effort to the Fife Flyers.
He also recorded a primary assist against the Devils, as the Guildford Flames fell in overtime on a painful weekend for Paul Dixon’s side.
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