As we've reached the halfway point of this season, it's safe to say there is a logjam at the top of the Northwest Suburban Conference standings. Five teams enter this week within a game of first place, including Elk River.
The Elks stumbled with a pair of losses late last week, but they have a chance to regain their footing on Wednesday against league-leading Blaine. With both teams fighting to remain in a heated conference championship race, their showdown was an easy choice for Top Game of the Week.
If Elk River is going to defeat the Bengals this week, the Elks (5-2, 5-1) are likely going to need production from their top scorers, including junior attackman Talon Heath, who has tallied a team-best 17 goals and 13 assists. Senior attackman Kyle Carr has also been effective this season with 11 goals.
Blaine has a potent offense that's been a big part of the team's unbeaten start. The Bengals (6-0, 6-0) enter this week averaging more than 13 goals per game. Senior midfielder Ethan Schiebe has been a catalyst for that attack. He added five goals in a 16-5 win over Coon Rapids on April 24.