For the match against Nancy, ranked fourth, Domer lines up a team identical in every way to the one that won a week earlier against Saint-Denis. Only Morphée returns to the goal, and the starting seven changes; Morphée, Domer, Boncompagni, Liotta, Tomi, Aubert, and Marietti start the match. Nice gains the upper hand early in the game, leading 5-1, but Nancy comes back, and the two teams play evenly until halftime (7-5) before the NWP definitively makes the difference in the third period.
Nice, therefore, has a good start. If Marietti’s first attempt from the kickoff misses the target, an initial exclusion of Cortes at center allows Tomi to score unopposed. Nancy equalizes immediately, also in man-up situations, by Kwiatkowski. The NWP continues to look for Tomi at center, and it pays off as Cortes already receives his second foul, conceding a penalty. Tomi converts it.
Liotta hits the bar on a long shot before Morphée deflects a dangerous attempt in man-down into a corner. Nancy then loses the ball, and Cortes is already eliminated by committing a foul on the defensive retreat while it’s only halfway through the first period. Oliviero tricks Ladent in the corner. Nice widens the gap with a pass from Calmette to Boncompagni, who finds the net despite the goalkeeper’s intervention (4-1). An identical scenario a moment later with Marietti concluding this time. Nancy wakes up with a goal from Lebon and then a counterattack finished by Bousnane in two stages, the first shot hitting the bar. Metay’s last shot does not trouble Morphée; Nice leads 5-3 at the end of the first period.
Ladent stops Liotta’s shot at the start of the second quarter. Tomi manages to steal a good ball and passes it to Aubert, who fights well and manages to deceive Ladent. Nancy tries to come back, but Morphée intervenes three times, deflecting Riou’s backhand into a corner, then Lebon’s shot, and making a save on another close-range backhand. The Lorrainers manage to reduce the score through Lebon in man-up. Liotta is stopped by Ladent. The matches are balanced, and Nice manages to regain a three-goal lead on a man-up situation and a goal from Tomi (7-4).
Nancy comes back again, again in the man-up situation, concluded by Riou this time. Aubert’s last long-distance shot on the siren is pushed into a corner by Ladent, and halftime is reached at 7-5 in favor of Nice.
It’s during the third period that the difference is made. The Nice team seems more cohesive and has a deeper bench; Nancy also starts to feel the effects of its captain’s three fouls at the beginning of the match. A nice collective move between Aubert, Boncompagni, and concluded by Tomi at center gives NWP a somewhat more comfortable lead. Liotta, less successful last night, hits the bar again, as does Lebon in the process. And Nice takes advantage of another man-up situation to widen the gap with a straight shot from Aubert (9-5).
Liotta is excluded, but the Nice defense stands strong on this occasion. Boncompagni then misses the frame before Bousnane finds the top corner from afar. A triangular play with Boncompagni allows Liotta, at center, to push the ball into the empty net. A wide shot by Boncompagni demoralizes the Lorrainers who trail by five goals at the end of the third quarter. The difference has been made, but the NWP continues at the same pace. On the engagement won by Ledeux, Marietti makes a nice individual action at center concluded by a beautiful backhand leaving no chance for Ladent (12-6).
After a save by Morphée, Domer calls for a timeout, and Marietti does it again, still at center, still with the backhand. Then Nancy raises its head by scoring two quick goals, the first in man-up. On the second, Isabelle Fack receives a yellow card. However, the end of the match is completely dominated by the Niçois, leaving the Lorrains completely demobilized.
Boncompagni adds to the score in man-up. In the same situation, Nancy quickly loses the ball to Aubert, who concludes the counterattack. A last goal by Domer on a pass from Ledeux seals the match score. Nice wins 16-8 (5-3; 2-2; 4-1; 5-2) and gets back in the race for the playoffs.
