Tonight, for the 15th day of Division 1, the Eagles, co-leader in the standings, will face the Corsairs of Dunkirk, the second-to-last in the championship. The team from Nice is on a streak of five consecutive wins and doesn’t want to stop now.
There is a big gap on paper between the two teams. Nice Hockey is thus the clear favorite for this match. The Eagles have a victory in their sights and aim for a sixth consecutive match without defeat.
As the General Manager of the Nice club, Alexandre Duyck, so well said this week: “If we are to win 5-1 against Anglet and then lose against the second-to-last in the championship, Dunkirk, it is useless.” The team from Nice cannot afford to make mistakes in front of their home crowd. Nice Hockey is in a state of euphoria, enjoying success, and thus is confident. The Eagles are showcasing beautiful play, while the attack continues to find the back of the net, and the defense is becoming more and more solid. Recently, the Nice supporters have been thoroughly entertained. They hope to see as much spectacle as they did against Anglet last Saturday.
For Dunkirk, the season is challenging. The club is second-to-last (12th place) at the end of the first half of the matches. Their tally: 6 points for nine matches played (2 wins and 5 losses). After stringing together 7 consecutive defeats in early November, the club, moved, announced the death of little Hugo, 8 years old, who passed away after being struck by a puck behind the ear while the Corsairs were playing against Reims. After the defeats and this sad news, the club is trying to recover. The Corsairs are on a streak of two victories, both away (10-4 at Courbevoie, 3-1 at Neuilly-sur-Marne). And Dunkirk is not finished traveling as after Nice, the club will play against Mont-Blanc and then Nantes before hosting Cholet, making it 5 away games in a row.
The Eagles should be wary of the Corsairs, who in their last two matches have scored 13 goals while conceding only 5. The team from Nice will be able to rely on their man in form, Karri Koivu, who scored four goals in Mulhouse, currently the 4th top scorer.
Kevin Chifflet
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