Tonight, the Nice Eagles travel to Neuilly-sur-Marne for the semi-finals of the Division 1 playoffs. An important meeting for the Eagles who hope to do better than last season.
They had reached this stage of the competition last year against Anglet (losing 4-1 and 7-2). This season, they return with a whole different status. Indeed, Stan Sutor’s men are among the favorites after finishing first in the regular season. For this match, they can rely on a duo in great form, captain Aurélien Macon and Vladimir Kubus. Both scored three goals during the two quarter-final games. A strong point of the Eagles is their consistency throughout the season and their ability to be present in all areas of the game. At the end of the regular season, Nice finished with the second best offense and second best defense in the championship.
Facing them is Neuilly-sur-Marne, who finished fifth in the regular season. In the quarter-finals, they eliminated Mulhouse after the decider. The Eagles need to be wary of Axel Rioux. In three playoff games, he has scored three goals and provided an assist. Aurélien Macon takes this team seriously and approaches this match humbly. Especially since Nice has had difficulties on the Neuilly ice rink. They have suffered three consecutive defeats there, the last one this season being 7-6 (after overtime).
One factor that could play in Nice’s favor is freshness. Nice wrapped up their quarter-final on Saturday night, while the Bisons were pushed to a third game on Sunday night at the Mulhouse ice rink. The Eagles therefore have 24 extra hours of rest but also have a long trip to the Paris region.
After tonight’s game, Nice will host Neuilly on Saturday (7:15 PM) at the Jean Bouin ice rink before a potential tie-breaking match the next day (same time).
In the other semi-final, Caen faces Anglet. First match in Normandy before the return leg and potential decider in the Basque Country.
Alexandre Demesy
