The Nice Hockey team secured a victory at the height of suspense and in overtime (4-3) against the Corsaires de Nantes. A great performance for the Eagles, who claim the third place from their opponent of the evening. The losing streak ends, and Nice can approach the final stretch with renewed confidence.
A victory that somewhat (makes one forget) the dismal series of three consecutive defeats. Beating Nantes, who were 3rd before this match, and bouncing back before the last three games of the regular season, is now done and in a remarkable way.
The first period starts at a high pace with a lot of commitment from both sides. The first chance is for Nice, with Slovak’s attempt, but the Nantes goalkeeper blocks it. In the following action, the Corsaires are penalized, and the Eagles capitalize on it to open the score. Stanislas Aubert, perfectly assisted by Raikonnen, beats Bozik (1-0, 4th minute). The pressure applied by Nantes pays off and Ten Braak equalizes with a deflected shot (1-1, 9th minute). At the very end of the power play (penalty against Macon), the Corsaires take the lead after a scrappy action concluded by Grygar (1-2, 16th minute). Aquin, Macon, and Vosjovic all try their luck, but the Nantes goalkeeper makes the stops.
The second period begins with some intense action around Sedlacek’s net. But immediately, Vladimir Kubus equalizes with a pass from Aquin (2-2, 22nd minute). The Eagles, who are quite shaky defensively, face the onslaught from the Nantes team. At the half-hour mark, the referee trio disallows a goal for Nice, leaving the rink puzzled and grumbling. The match could have turned at the 35th minute when Stan Sutor’s men found themselves with a 5 on 3 advantage on the ice, but this double advantage was poorly managed. On the last action of this period, the Nice team relaxes and concedes a goal. Genest takes advantage of a puck in front of the net to deceive the Nice goalie (2-3, 39th minute). Cruel.
As in the previous period, the Eagles start with full force and are rewarded with a goal from César Fleury. A shot from 2 meters out that finds the top corner of the Nantes goal (3-3, 43rd minute). The Nice team has taken possession of the puck and is dangerous with every attack in the opponents’ zone. Martin Slovak hits the post, creating tension at Jean-Bouin. Nice narrowly escapes misfortune when the Nantes forward hits the post five minutes from the end. A 3-3 draw at the end of the 60 minutes, sudden death to separate the two teams.
Overtime completely favors the Nice team, which has all the best scoring opportunities. Rehak tries first, then Varga, and once again Rehak, without success. Proof of the pressure on the Nantes goal, Varga hits the post. Thirty seconds later, Alexis Besson finds Bozik’s top corner and makes Jean-Bouin erupt! Nice wins and reclaims the 3rd place. This victory boosts the Eagles’ morale, but there is no celebration as they return to action on Tuesday in Reims.
“It’s my first goal this season. I won’t say I was expecting it, but it came at the right moment. We deserve this victory; we fought until the end. We will continue to work hard to finish as high as possible,” smiles Alexis Besson, the “hero” of the evening with this overtime goal.
Photo credit and more information at news.nicehockey.fr
