The Nice Eagles fell to the Marseille Spartans on Friday evening at the Palais Omnisports Marseille Grand-Est. The final score, (3-2), was decided with nine seconds remaining. A cruel ending for the Nice team, who had nonetheless managed to remain threatening until the end.
The match was part of a special evening. While Allianz Riviera hosted the duel between OM and OGC Nice, the ice rink at Pomge served as the stage for another Provençal-Riviera showdown. The Nice team arrived with the ambition of confirming their victory from the first match. The Marseille team, on the other hand, was looking to rebound after a defeat in Briançon.
The start of the match quickly set the tone. Marseille opened the scoring in the fourth minute thanks to Brett Thompson, well assisted by his teammates. The Nice Eagles responded by settling in the opponent’s zone, but without converting their chances. The Nice team found themselves in difficulty and conceded several penalties.
The second period saw the Nice Eagles coming back into the game. Pascal Margerit’s men attempted twice to disrupt the Spartans by pulling Alexis Shank from his net. Without success. Despite this attempt that could have turned the game around, it was once back at equal strength that Kim Stromberg eventually scored the break goal for Marseille (2-0). But it was not over yet because Henrik Rommel, just back on the ice after a penalty, brought Nice to (2-1) six seconds before the horn, benefiting from an effective team effort.
This goal restored the visitors’ confidence, who continued to press at the start of the third period. Under pressure, the Spartans and Eagles came to blows, offering a tense scenario. The Eagles multiplied their efforts to catch up. Penalties accumulated on both sides, making the game choppy and tense. The Nice team finally found an opening thanks to Mathieu Desgagnés. His goal in the 58th minute brought both teams to a tie and left the outcome of the match uncertain.
However, the end of the match finally tipped in Marseille’s favor. With nine seconds left on the clock, Yohan Coulaud scored the decisive goal. The Nice team, despite a courageous performance, saw the potential draw slip away. The Pomge erupted, while the Eagles left the ice with frustration, a disallowed goal, and two injured players.
The fine run of the Nice Eagles that began earlier in the week comes to an abrupt stop with a match that they will need to quickly forget. Because on Sunday, Nice hosts the Gap Raptors for an important duel in the perspective of playoff qualification. Kick-off at 5:30 PM.
