The Eagles of Nice are heading to Anglet this Saturday evening (8:30 PM) for the second match of the semi-finals in the French Division 1 championship. Nice Hockey is backed against the wall after their 4-1 defeat at home on Wednesday. A loss means the season is over, but a win gives the club a chance to compete in the decider the next day.
Mandatory Victories
The Nice team took a blow to the head on Wednesday at Jean-Bouin with the 4-1 defeat. However, the team is not traveling to Basque land defeated. The red and black know the lesson by heart to reach the finals: win both games and nothing else.
“We’ve waited all season to be in the semi-final. Despite Wednesday’s defeat, we’re eager for Saturday. We didn’t perform poorly in the first match, we have our chance and we’re going to give it our all!” explained Nice coach Stan Sutor after the match. If the Eagles win match 2, the decisive match will be played on Sunday at 7 PM, still on Anglet’s ice.
No Regrets at the Final Buzzer
Stan Sutor’s men know it well. This match might be the last of the season. Therefore, they have to give their all to avoid having regrets. The Eagles’ captain, Aurélien Macon, confirms: “In Anglet, we have nothing more to lose, they’re the ones who’ll be under pressure. We’ll go there with rage and a good state of mind. We’ll try to impose our game.” The missed opportunities in the first period still linger with the Nice team, just like the generous penalty that led to Hormadi Anglet’s opening score.
Forget the First Leg
Nice Hockey was neither respected in the game by Anglet nor in the stands by their supporters. A match that turned into a nightmare. Everything happened: a fight on the ice, unacceptable provocation by a handful of football fans who damaged the friendly atmosphere of ice hockey, and to top it off, a defeat.
“A lot of disappointment. We know it’s tough there, we needed to impose ourselves tonight. We got walked over, at home, it’s hard to digest. We didn’t see the light in the second period, they played better hockey. We weren’t in it, I can’t find the reasons,” analyzed captain Aurélien Mâcon at the end of the encounter.
For this second match, the Nice team will be without Samuel Aquin, who is suspended for 6 matches, including 3 suspended, after his major altercation with a Basque hockey player on Wednesday, thirty seconds before the end of the match. It’s this Saturday night or “never” for the Eagles of Nice.
Kevin Chifflet
Photo credit and more information on news.nicehockey.fr
