As part of the 9th day of the French D1 Championship, Nice Hockey is traveling to Tours this Saturday evening. The team from Nice, currently 4th in the standings, are coming off three consecutive victories and want to confirm their good form.
This is a pivotal match this weekend for both teams. Nice, 4th with 10 points, is just ahead of Tours, 5th with 9 points. On paper, the advantage goes to the Eagles, who are on a positive streak with three consecutive wins: at Cholet, at Courbevoie, and against Neuilly-sur-Marne. At the same time, Tours is recovering from a heavy 9-2 defeat on the ice at Anglet.
Nice Hockey will need to be cautious of the newly promoted Tours team. With 9 points on the board, the Tours Remparts are having a more than successful season start for a club whose main goal is to remain in Division 1.
With 16 goals in three matches, Stan Sutor’s men prove that the work done since this summer is paying off. The new recruits are getting increasingly comfortable within the team, as illustrated by Samuel Aquin (2 goals and 10 assists) and Alexandre Touchette (5 goals, 5 assists). However, for the trip to Tours, the team will need to be more solid at the back. With 24 goals conceded in 7 games, an average of 3.4 per match, Nice ranks 5th for the best defenses. This is surely an area for improvement in recent days and for the weeks to come. Good news, forward Martin Slovak will return to the group after a two-match suspension, providing an additional offensive asset for the azurรฉens.
Note that in case of a victory and depending on the results of the Top 3 teams (Bordeaux, Nantes, Anglet), Nice Hockey could take the lead at the end of the 9th day of Division 1.
Kevin Chifflet
