There were three days left before this match counting for the 42nd day of the Ligue Magnus. Thanks to their success on the ice rink of Amiens, the Eagles of Nice are still in the race for the final phase.
What a feel-good victory that was. Although the pressure is on to grab the last qualifying tickets for the final phase, the Eagles of Nice did not falter this evening. Well, a little bit at least…
Even though they were on a less than exhilarating streak concluded by a third defeat in as many matches against Marseille, the Eagles attacked the game with vigor. In the coliseum of Amiens, Nice quickly took the lead. Leevi Karjalainen took advantage of a power play to open the scoring in less than five minutes. Although the match was quite balanced, the Eagles increased their lead five minutes later. Captain Nicolas Ruel, who assisted on the opening goal, became a scorer himself (2-0). But the Maralpins did not stop there! Barely four minutes later, it was Adam Raska’s turn to find the back of the net (0-3). Already with two assists, the club’s top scorer was in sparkling form at the start of the match.
In less than fifteen minutes, the visitors seemed to have taken a solid advantage in the match. But the Amiens team found their break eventually. Previously faultless, Conrad Molder had to concede a goal to Janis Svanenbergs (1-3). The suspense was rekindled for a few minutes. Because Nice regained their three-goal advantage just before the end of the first period. Once again, with Adam Raska in action, it was Marek Sloboda who scored the fourth goal for Nice (1-4).
Nice Plays a Dangerous Game
The second period was very similar to the first in terms of intensity. Both teams offered good play and went toe-to-toe. The Gothiques took advantage of a two-minute penalty against Nice to narrow the gap through Justin Bergeron (2-4). A goal that didn’t faze the defensively diligent Azuréens but gave hope back to the locals and their supporters.
While both teams returned to the dressing room with this score, the Gothiques came back on the ice with a strong desire to turn the match around. On the other side, the Eagles seemed to have lost their early-game confidence but held on as best as they could. Amiens assaults piled up and Nice was forced to defend. Conrad Molder was put to the test with no less than 18 saves towards the end of the match.
As frustration grew on the Amiens side, the coach sensed an opportunity. As usual, the trailing team pulled their goalkeeper to play with a numerical advantage. This situation eventually paid off when a former home player, Jesper Larinmaa, managed to score (3-4). The end of the match was electric. The Eagles tried to withstand as best as they could and were very close to panic as they played the last minute four against six outfield players!
In the end, Nice got through almost miraculously to win (3-4) and retook 7th place at the expense of Chamonix. Nothing is settled with only two games left in the regular phase of the Ligue Magnus since from the 7th to 10th place, the gap is only a mere four points.
The end of the championship promises to be intense. The next match for the Eagles is this Tuesday at home against Bordeaux. Kick-off at 8 p.m. at the Jean Bouin ice rink!
