Despite a very good collective performance, the Eagles lost their last regular season game at home against the current second place team in the Ligue Magnus, Grenoble.
The atmosphere was there, but the result less so. The 1,200 electrified supporters at the Jean Bouin ice rink couldn’t help NHE, who are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, win the match against the Grenoble “Brûleurs de loups”, who are also already qualified. In an actively engaged first period, it was the visitors who were more enterprising. Very present in the Nice zone, Grenoble controlled the puck, set the pace, and turned their dominance into a score through a slightly deflected shot by S. Treille (10th minute). The 0-1 score remained unchanged until the break.
Specialists in starting strong in the second period, the Niçois equalized just 12 seconds after the restart. Just like in the previous game against Gap, where it only took them 19 seconds to tie the score. The team from Nice was much more offensive after returning from the locker rooms and enjoyed a power play. The pressure increased on the BDL’s goal, the Eagles hit the crossbar but couldn’t breach the opponents’ net. Grenoble returned to full strength and took the lead through J. Champagne (25th minute). Once again delivering a solid performance, Nice’s goalkeeper V. Rosandic managed to stop a penalty shot, just like in the past match, but eventually conceded to a powerful shot by D. Kearney at the very end of the period.
The third and final period distinctly belonged to Nice. Within a span of one minute, NHE’s hockey players reduced the gap and then tied the game thanks to O. Dame-Malka (45th minute) and M. Palocko (46th minute). Nice went all out on the attack and pinned the nervous Grenoble players in front of their goal. The match was tense, the contacts were very physical, and fouls multiplied, disrupting the flow of the game. But finally, against the course of play, the realism of the Isérois punished the locals’ mistakes; C. Tartari (57th minute) scored the fourth goal for his team. The Eagles’ hopes for overtime were shattered against the left post of the opposing goalkeeper just 10 seconds before the end of the match. Final score: 3-4 in favor of the BDL.
Yassine Said Hasane
