Authors of an encouraging start to the season with two victories and one defeat, the Eagles of Nice hosted the Boxers of Bordeaux, who were strong with two wins in their first two outings of the season, at the Jean-Bouin ice rink.
A packed stand. It was in a scorching atmosphere, heated by the Nice Angels, that the Eagles of Nice faced the strong team of the Boxers. Despite the good start from the locals in play, they were punished for their multitude of missed opportunities when opponent number 7 Esipov opened the scoring for Bordeaux. This was followed by numerous technical inaccuracies from the Niçois, allowing great pressure from the Boxers, who attempted to break away. Finally, the Niçois, in numerical superiority after Mariage’s temporary exclusion, managed to equalize at the 16th minute of the first period thanks to Raikkonen.
The second period quickly brought bad news for Nice with the departure of number 10 Stefan Klimek due to injury. This second period was also marked by the imperial performances of both goalkeepers, keeping their goals untouched. A particularly interrupted and rough second period, with several skirmishes. This palpable tension led to a fight, forcing the referee to temporarily exclude two players from each side.
The third period started very strongly in the first minute with Bergin’s breakaway on the Niçois side, missing his face-off with the Boxers’ goalkeeper. During a strong phase, the Niçois pushed through their best scorer Nicolas Touchette, but number 81 saw his two successive shots repelled by the last Bordeaux defender. This third period offered remarkable intensity, shifting from one attack to another, and it was finally the Boxers who managed to make the difference through Obluch, doubling the score 8 minutes before the end.
In the final moments of the match, the coach from Nice took advantage of his timeout to give the last instructions. These instructions visibly aimed to throw all the team’s forces into battle in order to equalize, since the Niçois goalkeeper Sedlacek participated in the final offensive. But it was on the match’s ultimate counterattack that the Boxers came to crucify the Eagles with a third goal in the empty net…
