Nice Hockey was defeated, this Tuesday evening, 4-3 in overtime on the Reims ice rink. The Eagles bring back a point from Champagne that could be decisive at the end of the season. With two games remaining, a spot in the top four is not yet secured.
The days when Nice was leading Division 1 and competing with Anglet and Bordeaux for leadership seem far away. Since the beginning of January, the Eagles have been struggling, losing games but holding onto a commendable third place. In the last three games, there have been two losses, but in overtime, which allows them to bring back a point each time.
The trip to Reims was expected to be complicated despite the hard-fought victory (4-3 OT) against Nantes last Saturday. The hosts were also confident after the impressive win on Anglet’s rink, then the leader.
Nice started the match well by opening the score through Stefan Klimek, his fifth goal of the season (0-1, 10th minute). Unfortunately, the Eagles fell back into their indiscipline habits and found themselves at a 5 on 3 disadvantage (penalties against Brejka and Kubus). It didn’t take long for the Phenix to reduce the deficit three minutes after Nice’s goal (1-1, 13th minute). Despite a Nice player returning to the ice, Reims stepped up in power play and took the lead (2-1, 13th minute). Similar to the game against Nantes, the Eagles showed character, and Stefan Klimek scored his second goal at the end of the period (2-2, 17th minute). It’s the second brace for the 26-year-old Slovakian after a similar feat at the end of January. Fifty seconds later, the club’s in-form player from the Côte d’Azur, Vladimir Kubus, gave Nice Hockey the lead (2-3, 18th minute). A goal-rich period!
The second period was more challenging for the Niçois, who, despite three power plays, couldn’t make a difference. It was quite the opposite for the Rémois, who capitalized on Milan Varga’s penalty to equalize at 5 on 4 on the ice (3-3, 36th minute). Nothing was scored in the third period despite a power play on each side. Nice went into overtime for the third consecutive time.
In the initial minutes of overtime, the Reims Phenix made the difference and won the match with a goal from Brice Mansouri, the man of the match with one goal and two assists. The Eagles fell for the eighth time this season, including two overtime losses. With two games remaining, Nice holds the third place with a narrow one-point lead over Nantes and four over Mulhouse (who has a game in hand), their next opponent at Jean-Bouin on February 21.
Photo credit and more information at news.nicehockey.fr
