The Nice Eagles were defeated in the second game of the season in the Ligue Magnus (3-4). A loss that leaves a bitter taste.
This Friday evening, for the third day of the Ligue Magnus, the Nice Eagles hosted the Anglet Hormadi Pays Basque. After their win against Chamonix, three goals to one, last weekend, the DNA was looking to confirm against the second-last team of last season.
The game starts in the worst possible way for Marc-André Lévesque’s team. After one minute and forty-five seconds of play, the Eagles concede the first goal. A goal scored by Latvian Nikita Jevpalovs. The start of the game for the Niçois is timid. On counter-attacks, the Niçois are too exposed and concede a second goal. The first seven minutes for Nice are nightmarish. Luck smiles on Anglet with a miraculous save by the goalkeeper on the line after ten minutes of play.
After several minutes in front of the Basque goal, the Eagles find a breakthrough thanks to Henrik Rommel, after 11 minutes and 30 seconds of play. After a long video review, the goal is confirmed. The Jean Bouin ice rink breathes again. On the goal-scoring play, Anglet’s player Timothe Quattrone receives a penalty, the second of the match. But the old demons of the Nice Eagles resurface. They are punished once again on a counter, after 13 minutes and 15 seconds in this first period. A goal that occurs while the Niçois are in a power play. Trailing by two goals, the DNA will have to raise the bar for the rest of the match.
A much more satisfying second period, but still insufficient
A relatively calm return from the locker room for both teams. The Niçois struggle to gain the upper hand over their opponent of the evening. However, captain Nicolas Ruel had other plans. The Eagles’ attacker faces the opposing goalkeeper and allows his team to narrow the gap (2-3).
Riding this momentum, the Eagles push hard, accompanied by the Jean Bouin crowd. The tension rises and emotions heat up. Nice continues its efforts and once again gets punished by the Basques (2-4), after ten minutes into this second period. The level of play from both teams is much higher than in the first period.
The Eagles do not give up and immediately return to the fight, pushing Anglet to a penalty, their third of the match. Less than three minutes after the last goal, the Eagles reduce the gap again, thanks to the power play. A goal signed by Jesper Larinmaa. With seven minutes left in this second period, Charles Antoine Roy is penalized. Teemu Loizeau, going solo on a counter, misses the opportunity to equalize. The Niçois can harbor regrets.
Despite multiple attempts in the final moments, the Eagles are still trailing by one goal (3-4), with 20 minutes left in the game.
A third period that changes nothing
Despite good intentions, the task becomes more complicated for the DNA. Facing a goalie on fire tonight, the Eagles tense up and show too much inaccuracy with the puck. The Niçois try their luck from a distance, in vain. The crowd keeps pushing hard behind their players for the final ten minutes of this match.
A situation that remains frozen until the end of the match, despite dozens of attempts by the men in blue tonight. The DNA will have many regrets tonight, facing an opponent that seemed beatable on paper. A failure due to too much inaccuracy with the puck and poorly negotiated defensive transitions.
In the press zone, Canadian Samuel Régis explains this underperformance: “I think that we didn’t respect them and I think we paid for it.” Harsh words, which coach Marc-André Lévesque shares: “the first period, we didn’t show up! We gave them those three goals.” A defeat to quickly forget for the Eagles, with next week’s reception of the Spartans of Marseille.
