The Nice Eagles will host Anglet Hormadi this Wednesday evening (8 p.m.) for the first match of the semi-final of the French Division 1 championship. Three days after eliminating Tours (2 matches to 1), Nice Hockey returns to its Jean-Bouin ice rink and can count on its fired-up crowd.
Just 120 minutes away from a promotion final to the Magnus League. It is both little and a lot. Nice Hockey reaches the playoffs semi-finals again, three years later (2011-2012, losing the final against Mulhouse). The people of Nice eliminated Tours in the quarter-final in three matches (victory 2-6, loss 1-3, and victory 5-1), just like Anglet against Mulhouse (loss 5-4, victory 4-3, and victory 7-2).
A high-level match
This match is not just a great showcase, it’s the final four of the championship. The second of the regular season faces the third in a match that promises fireworks. The matches are following at a frantic pace. Seventy-two hours after their great victory against Tours (5-1) and against Mulhouse (7-2), the two teams are already back for the next round.
In the regular season, tied
During the 2nd day of the championship, at the beginning of September, Nice suffered a heavy defeat 8-3 on Anglet’s ice before taking their revenge in the return match on the 14th day, with a 5-1 victory at home.
Anglet is strong
Anglet’s season has been positive, with 18 wins, 4 losses, and 2 losses after overtime for a total of 38 points at the end of the regular season. The club then defeated Mulhouse in the quarter-finals of the playoffs, defying the experts’ predictions despite the standings gap.
And if Nice went further?
The club’s goal at the beginning of the season was achieved: to finish in the top 4 and compete in a playoff semi-final. Appetite comes with eating and for all parts of the club, this semi-final is a culmination but not an end in itself. Aurélien Macon reiterated after match 3 against Tours: “We want and we can go further.” This year, the club can change history, its history.
After the first leg?
The return match will take place this Saturday on Anglet’s ice, and if the teams have one victory each after the two encounters, the tiebreaker will take place the next day, still in Anglet. This time, Nice Hockey hosts the first part and will have to finish the job away from home, in the Basque Country.
