On Saturday at 7:15 PM, Nice Hockey will host Neuilly-sur-Marne for the return leg of the playoff semi-final. The Eagles have one mission: win the game to qualify for the final.
At home, the Eagles are almost unstoppable. Between the regular season and the quarterfinals, they have played 14 matches, winning 13 and losing one, scoring 83 goals while conceding 31. Nice Hockey has the psychological advantage and is coming off two consecutive wins against Neuilly-sur-Marne (3-2 at home on 01/19/2016 and 2-1 away midweek). The team is currently on an 8-game winning streak, an improvement over the start of the season when their momentum was halted on the ice of… Neuilly-sur-Marne.
“We are confident at home, but in a playoff match, they can come and win. We need to be serious. We must forget that we have a joker, a match lead. Having experienced a game 3 at home (last season, a 5-1 win against Tours), it’s not easy. You don’t sleep, you think too much, it gets to you, and you don’t prepare exceptionally well, so I hope we win the game on Saturday.”
This match is crucial for Stan Sutor’s men if they want to reach the playoffs final and face the winner of Caen-Anglet (Caen leads 1-0, with game 2 in Anglet this Saturday). If Nice loses, the decider will be played on Sunday at the Jean Bouin ice rink.
“Keep Your Feet on the Ground”
For Stan Sutor, Nice Hockey’s coach, a poor performance must be avoided this Saturday. “We must keep our feet on the ground. We won there, but we need to stay focused. Cholet thought they would advance against Caen (lost 2-0), we must learn from this example. We won in difficult conditions; not many teams have managed to win in Neuilly.”
On their part, Neuilly-sur-Marne is against the wall. The Neuilly Bisons must beat Nice in this game 2 to force a game 3 and have a chance to qualify for the final.
Kevin Chifflet
