Faceoff

Jackson Scott had always known it was going to be hard to transform him and his unathletic friends from social rejects into hockey stars.

Alas, 'hard' didn't come close to describing the impossible challenge he'd signed up for by forming the Highview Spartans.

Just learning how to stand up on the ice pushes Jackson and his fellow Spartans to the limit, let alone mastering the art of hockey and overcoming the fear of being hit into by mean kids ten times their size. Their training sessions are nothing short of a disaster, and their first inglorious match against a real opponent removes any doubt that they are swimming - and skating! - out of their depth.

As the defeats pile up, the Spartans begin to question whether playing hockey really is the solution to their problems or if it is just making their unpopularity even worse. Far from demonstrating their fearlessness to the world, they are putting their inadequacies on public display, and are getting bullied and ridiculed more than ever at school.

Even Jackson - the captain and founder of the Spartans - is beginning to lose hope and question whether his dream can become a reality. The odds are stacked against him. The whole world seems to want him to fail. And as far as he can see, only a show of strength comparable to the 300's dramatic last stand at Thermopylae can turn his fortunes around.

So will Jackson and his friends give the world what it wants and fall at the first hurdle? Or is there enough fight in the Spartans to live up to their namesake, prove everyone wrong, and make history in the process?