The crowd came in large numbers to support the Nice team. Right from the start of the match, the Nice players were very tense, aware of the stakes. It’s the Nice team that set the pace and created their first opportunities from the very first minute of play. The opening goal didn’t take long, with Damien BLANC, well assisted by Damien FONTAINE, winning his duel against the excellent Montpellier goalkeeper in the 4th minute of play. The Nice team then slightly eased their pressure, and the game eventually balanced out.
The Montpellier team then took advantage of a poor clearance to equalize through OZORAK in the 9th minute. The two teams neutralized each other, resulting in a very fragmented game where counter-attacks were frequent. Three minutes before halftime, Maxime LAVAL, assisted by Manu MILANO and Grégory RAITORE, allowed the Angels to head to the locker room with a one-goal lead (2-1).
The second half was dominated by the Nice team, who increased and imposed their pace. They kept their opponents away from the puck throughout the half. The Angels shot 26 times at the opposing goal, while the Montpellier team only shot 8 times at Grégory Brun. The Mantas struggled to keep up with the imposed rhythm and were penalized. It was during Montpellier’s first penalty (30th minute) that the Angels widened the gap, with Manu MILANO scoring from a long shot served by Maxime LAVAL.
The Montpellier team quickly responded, coming back to score (3-2) on a counter-attack. The second penalty called against the Mantas once again allowed the Nice team to widen the gap, thanks to Manu MILANO who found the corner with a pass from Cyril DUCHASSIN. The Nice domination was total, and the score could have been much more severe with a bit more success. But four minutes from the end, the referees delayed a penalty against Montpellier, allowing the Nice team to pull their goalkeeper and keep the puck for two minutes with a 5-on-4 advantage. The last two minutes were played in superiority for the Nice team, who focused on maintaining their lead.
Next match:
The Nice team will go to Grenoble on 13/12.
Visit the Angels’ website: www.nice-roller-attitude.com
