The Eagles of Nice, who were leading the championship up to this point, were defeated by Anglet (0-4). This defeat is the first of the season on their ice and allows Anglet to catch up with Nice in the standings after 13 rounds of the championship.
It was a great match that both teams offered us this Wednesday. Both well into the game, the play was very physical. Lots of contact and technique from both teams. While the level was balanced during the first two minutes, it was Anglet who opened the scoring through Matthew Brenton (5’06”, 0-1). A minute later, Anglet found themselves shorthanded. The Eagles took advantage to press forward. They created numerous chances but were up against a very good Basque goalkeeper.
Capitalizing on a new attack by Nice, Anglet counterattacked two-on-one; a player sped down the right side and centered for Florent Neyens who just had to slot past the Nice goalkeeper (13’39”, 0-2). The Eagles, frustrated, committed fouls and found themselves shorthanded. The Basques took advantage to increase their hold on the game with a goal from Iiro Vehmanen (18’58”, 0-3).
Another denied goal
With a three-goal lead, the Anglet players took to the ice with a good advantage and let the puck go to the Eagles. The Basques’ tactic was simple: be defensively solid and try to surprise Nice on counterattacks. Stan Sutor’s men dominated the second period, creating numerous chances. From close, from far, off-center, or straight down the middle, Nice Hockey tried to shoot from all positions but to no avail, the Anglet goalkeeper was imperial in his goal.
Twelve minutes into the game, the Eagles thought they had finally found the opening and scored through Hampl. The referee decided to disallow the goal as the Basque net had moved just before the strike. For the Nice coach, “the score is a bit harsh compared to our play, we took 37 shots to their 12… A disallowed goal, just like last week, it’s unfortunate, it’s a lot.”
When it doesn’t want to happen…
The final period was calmer in terms of chances but not in aggression. Nice Hockey tried everything to reduce the score but came up against a solid Anglet team defensively. In the last minutes, the referee was completely overwhelmed by events and expelled four Nice players from the rink after several altercations with the Basques who, in turn, did not see their players penalized. The outraged audience booed the Anglet players. In this situation of a double shorthanded play, the powerless Eagles conceded a fourth goal by Iivo Hokkanen (16’27”, 0-4).
“Losing a game happens, but not being able to score a goal at home is troubling. Beware, this is not a crisis, we’re halfway (through the season), tied with Anglet, there are still many games left,” explained deputy coach Pascal Margerit. This weekend, the Eagles will try to bounce back with a trip to the rink in Tours.
Alexandre Demesy
