Spartans' speed dents Metros' hopes
Trafford Metros 2 - 8 Sheffield Spartans
Every team in Division One was in action tonight. If results went badly for the Metros they could have found themselves being distanced from the top section of the league. It was not an impossible task, but was always going to be a big ask, to beat the high-flyers from Sheffield. In the end it proved too high a hurdle and Sheffield took the game and put themselves two points clear at the top of the league. Fortunately Coventry and Telford were beaten and the relative league positions didn’t change. Ominously, arch rivals Blackburn Hawks closed to a single point behind the Metros.
Sheffield began with their trademark speed of foot and and passing, putting Trafford on the back foot. Robyn Crebbin took a cross-checking penalty just 2.43 into the game upon which Sheffield capitalised at 3.24 through Will Barron. Two more goals for Sheffield followed at 11.50 (Barron’s second) and 14.01 (Nick Manning), at which point Metros’ ‘keeper Tom MacDonald decided, after 14 shots, that it wasn’t to be his day and relinquished the net to Dominic Corry.
Period two was marked by indiscretion by the Spartans allowing seven minutes of varying one and two man advantages to the Metros. Despite pressure and shots Trafford couldn’t find a way passed a disciplined defence and the outstanding Zimozdra in the Spartans net. Sheffield converted two more opportunities including a Short-handed Delayed penalty goal at 32.15 (Oliver). The visitors’ Shaun Ashton started his natural hat-trick at 35.20 and Sheffield left the ice at the buzzer, despite being outshot 18 to 11, with a comfortable 5 – 0 lead.
A Sheffield tripping penalty, called at the end of the second period, allowed the Metros to take to the ice on a power-play. Danny Berry fed Jake Nurse who scored at 41.16 to give the home team hope. That hope proved short-lived: Ashton added his second (43.02) and third (46.04). Nick Manning took his own second with exactly 10 minutes to go. All that was left was for John Murray (assist Day) to whip a shot passed the screened Zimozdra at 52.11 to put a little respectability into the score-line.
A Metros’ spokesman said: “We were caught by the Spartans speed down the centre of the ice. Defensive cohesion was a bit lacking, early in the game we lost too many face-offs in our own zone and we were guilty of receiving outlet passes facing our own goal; that gave Sheffield time to cover as we turned and accelerated. It’s all stuff we can work on. We need to improve those areas as we face the top three teams six times in our next eight matches. Losing too many of those games is not an option we can consider.”
Metros Man of the Match: Alex Burgess
Game Stats:
Shots on Goal (shots on Metros first): 44 – 38
Penalty minutes: Metros 10 Spartans 16.
Metros’ stats: John Murray 1 + 0, Jake Nurse 1 + 0, Danny Berry 0 + 1, Sean Day 0 + 1, Jon Maw 0 + 1.
Nets: Tom MacDonald (14.01 mins): 14/3: 78.57%; Dominic Corry (45.59 mins): 30/5 83.33%
