While the Nice Eagles were coming off a good result at Briançon, all hopes were high. But then: for their reunion with the Jean Bouin public, the people of Nice stumbled upon a hurdle named Rouen.
The Nice Eagles fell back into their old habits. Facing Rouen this Friday night for the 16th day of the Ligue Magnus, the game quickly turned in favor of the Dragons. Despite a nice burst of pride on the Briançon ice at the beginning of the week, the people of Nice once again couldn’t hold their own against a championship giant.
The match was decided by details. If the Nice Eagles struggled to handle situations when outnumbered, Pascal Margerit’s men once again allowed a goal during one of these phases. A gift the Dragons capitalized on.
However, not everything is to be discarded. The Eagles were generally disciplined in defense, offering the Normans only a few shooting opportunities. Rouen led the game in tempo and consistency. Nice was more active in certain sequences. The Eagles directed 20 shots in total. Rouen replied with 25 shots.
The first goal came in the 17th minute through Roland Vigners. By the end of the first period, nothing was decided yet and all hopes were still high. But just two minutes later, the gap widened. Roland Vigners turned into a passer for Thomas Simonsen, and the match started taking a bad turn for the home team.
A reaction full of hope
The positive point of the match remains the reaction capability of the team from the Maritime Alps. While they would have certainly crumbled a month ago, Samuel Régis managed to find the back of the net and revive the match (1-2).
Though it ultimately wasn’t enough to shift the momentum, the reaction shows that their fighting spirit is truly back. The Niçois held firm for over ten minutes before conceding the third goal while disadvantaged, from an inspiration by Simon Lafrance. The fourth goal remains anecdotal with Alexis Shank leaving to offer one last opportunity to get back in the game.
With this home defeat (1-4), Nice slips to the 6th place in the championship. A ranking all in all realistic given the performances against the teams above. But beware: the Azuréens still have a game in hand, which could see them slip down a spot based on the results of Chamonix.
We will find the Nice Eagles again next week at home once more. They will meet the Cergy-Pontoise Jokers, currently last and on a very worrying series of twelve matches without success. Watch out for the wounded beast… The kickoff is at 8 PM at the Jean Bouin ice rink.
