Last weekend the Sheffield Spartans faced the Newcastle ENL Vipers in their first of four games this season.

This first period was a terrible start for the Spartans, poor defensive mistakes left Ben Bowns hung out to dry on a number of occasions. Over the course of the first period Newcastle capitalized on Sheffields mistakes four times creating a solid lead, one which would be difficult to come back from for any team.

The Spartans stepped up the tempo in the second period, creating lots of pressure in front of the Newcastle net. Through their frustrations Newcastle took a number of penalties but some excellent saves kept the score at 4-0. It wasn’t until half way through the period that the Spartans found the net. Scott Morris won a face off in the Newcastle end for Will Barron to grab a quick shooting opportunity, he found the back of the Net with a low wrist shot. The Spartans were pushing for a second goal and came close with a scramble in front of net, but the Period ended 4-1.

The Spartans now had to score three goals in 20 minutes to get back in the game, which was a very tall order. They continued to dominate the possession and create shooting opportunities, but failed to score any more goals.

Final Score: Sheffield 1 – Newcastle 4

This was a disappointing result for the Spartans, who suffered from a poor first period. They dominated the second and third periods with lots of possession but failed to convert their chances. Sheffield out-shot Newcastle 59-21 and a solid performance from the Vipers netminder earned him m.o.m.

Barron 1+0, Morris 0+1

The Spartans will need to get back on track with another cup win this Saturday against Whitley, before facing another tough test next weekend against the Nottingham Lions.