Following their defeat in the final against the Mulhouse team in 2 games, 3-1 away and then 3-4 at home, Nice will remain in the 1st Division. However, the team did not underperform, and the Nice hockey players as well as all their supporters can be proud of the season and a title of vice-champion of France in the 1st Division of Ice Hockey.
The Magnus League will wait…
Last Saturday, no less than 1,200 spectators were present to watch the final of the 1st Division French Ice Hockey Championship. Many of them tried to get tickets on Saturday, to no avail. Indeed, by Friday the ticket office for the match had closed due to all tickets being sold out. It was a shame for the Nice Hockey Côte d’Azur staff who would have loved to push the walls of the Jean Bouin ice rink to accommodate all the disappointed fans who couldn’t get tickets…
After losing a match in Mulhouse, despite a strong performance, the Nice hockey players were obliged to win last Saturday to force a decisive game that would have taken place on Sunday. The keys to the match were offensive success and efficiency against Mulhouse’s very good goalie, Radovan HURAJT.
Thus, the Nice players leave this final disappointed as they were unable to leverage it to their advantage. Unlike the last championship match against Mulhouse, which they had won by playing appealing hockey and putting on a great show. This time, the Mulhouse team was more realistic and effective. They won logically, benefiting from an excellent performance by their goaltender, the Slovakian Radovan HURAJT.
However, the Nice hockey players do not have to be disappointed with their season: They finish as Vice Champion of France in Division 1 Ice Hockey. They have successfully highlighted Nice ice hockey on a national level and introduced this sport to the entire Côte d’Azur public.
With an average of more than 800 spectators per match, there is a definite enthusiasm that has developed among sports lovers, particularly hockey fans: A great prospect for the future.
So see you in September for a new season because the eagles certainly have not said their last word: maybe the Magnus League will arrive sooner than expected…
by Mickael CHANDIOUX
