The Nice team embarks on a crucial week starting tonight. After failing four years ago in the D1 playoff final against Mulhouse, the Eagles can take a step forward against Anglet to make club history. First act at 7:15 PM.
Both teams have been anticipated since the start of the season. They have delivered and are now competing for the Division 1 title. Before reaching the elite of French hockey (the Ligue Magnus), the winner of this final will still need to face the 12th place team in the Magnus League relegation pool to secure their ticket. A division that certainly captures the attention of the Nice Hockey players, as indicated by captain Aurélien Macon: “We are thinking about it. When you reach this stage of the competition, you have to think about it. But what matters most to us is the title. That’s the objective everyone aims for.”
The hardest part is yet to come
The Nice team approaches this stage of the competition in the best shape. Nice Hockey finished first in the regular season and is having a perfect playoff run so far. The Eagles have not lost any of their matches: 2-0 victory in the quarter-final against Nantes (5-2 and 5-2) and 2-0 in the semi-final against Neuilly-sur-Marne (2-1 and 3-2). This success is attributed to the club’s good recruitment according to Aurelien Macon: “The recruitment was very good. There is good chemistry among all of us. On paper, I think the team is better and there is a really strong cohesion, which allows us to achieve better results than last year.” To confirm this beautiful journey, they will have to win three times against a difficult and resourceful team.
An arduous adversary in Anglet
On Anglet’s side, the playoff journey was more arduous. The Basques needed three games to overcome Dunkerque in the quarter-finals (3-5, 5-2, 5-1) and Caen (3-4, 7-4, 5-2). L’Hormadi relied on their strong home performance (4 wins in 4 games) to get through tough situations. Therefore, the Eagles must be cautious. Anglet ended as the best attack of the regular season with 141 goals, ten more than the Eagles. The two encounters in the regular phase resulted in spectacular clashes. The Basques came to win 4-0 at Jean Bouin before the men of Stan Sutor made a comeback with a 5-2 victory. The Eagles respect the team, as shown by the Nice captain: “We know it’s a very talented, very strong team. They proved it again this season. They finished in 3rd place despite some setbacks, it’s a very good team. We are quite evenly matched. It’s true that last year they were above us. At their place, we suffered a heavy defeat. This year, we really have a chance, and everyone wants to lift the cup at the end of the season.”
K.C & A.D
