The Eagles of Nice won comfortably this evening against the Chamonix Pioneers on the Jean-Bouin ice rink. Despite conceding two goals, the Nice attack led by the duo Edouard St-Laurent who scored a hat-trick and Mathieu Gagnon who scored a double did not falter, scoring eight goals on their return to competition after a two-week break.
A month of October on a rollercoaster (2 wins, 2 losses), two long weeks without a single match to sink their teeth into, the long wait of Nice supporters has finally come to an end.
This Friday evening, the Nice crowd gathered at the Jean-Bouin ice rink for the grand return of the Eagles of Nice on their home ice, on the occasion of this 15th day of Ligue Magnus. Carried by the confidence gained from their victory against Angers, Marc-André Levesque’s men had their work cut out for them against the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Pioneers.
The Eagles of Nice started their match with guns blazing in front of a Jean Bouin crowd won over from the start. It took only fifteen seconds for Mathieu Gagnon to find the opening and set the tone for a one-sided start. Despite a physically intense beginning punctuated by penalties (two for Chamonix and one for Nice in the first five minutes), Marc-André Lévesque’s men completely overwhelmed the Chamonix players.
The Maralpins then rolled out their game to extend their lead until reaching 4-0. Only one dark cloud in this first period, a goal reduction signed by Matt Tugnutt, assisted by Stanislav Lopachuk. True to their home reputation, the Eagles confirmed their superiority during the second period by adding two more goals. Defensively, Nice however conceded a similar goal to the first period, this time scored by Joseph Broutin on passes from Alessio Luciani and Stanislav Lopachuk.
In the third period, Chamonix took the lead to try to make up their deficit, but nothing worked. They even fell victim to two more goals, two minutes before the final buzzer. The Nice team showed all their talents tonight and secure a second straight victory.
A fiery attack
Led by an irresistible offensive line throughout the match, the Eagles of Nice rained goals at Jean-Bouin. Édouard St-Laurent logically MVP of the match, shone brilliantly with an impressive hat-trick. After a double in the first period (at the 6th minute on passes from Samuel Régis and Alexandre Gagnon, then at the 14th assisted by Fletcher Anderson and Ewen Jribi-Chauvier), he struck again just 17 seconds into the second period (still set up by Alexandre Gagnon and Samuel Régis).
He was perfectly supported by an equally dazzling Mathieu Gagnon, author of a double during the first period (as early as the 15th second assisted by Alexandre Gagnon and Roland Vigners, then at the 10th on offers from Roland Vigners and Colin Morillon) before becoming a key passer in the second period for Roland Vigners (also assisted by Alexandre Gagnon, who delivered an impressive quadruple of assists tonight).
Faced with such efficiency, Chamonix could only observe the offensive effectiveness of the Nice team, coming close to 7-1 after a shot by Teemu Loizeau that hit the post in the second period. But it would just be a matter of time in the third period when Fletcher Anderson and Adam Nobes extended the lead. The point of honor for the evening brought the final score to (8-2), a true show of force from the Nice team.
Heading to Rouen
Following this dominant victory which propels Nice to fourth place in the Ligue Magnus standings, satisfaction was evident in the Maralpin ranks. Named player of the match after his hat-trick, Édouard St-Laurent praised the quality of work done since the break: « We had very good training sessions all week, the guys couldn’t wait to get back to action. The teammates made some great passes, and this two-week break did a lot of good for our minds and bodies. » A observation shared by his coach Marc-André Lévesque, pleased to see the intensity of the week rewarded right from the start: « We had a very strong start that cut their legs off right away. We pushed the guys in training and they answered with good energy. » If the Nice technician savors this climb up the standings while reminding that « the season is still long and we shouldn’t be satisfied with this », eyes are already on the next challenges.
A dominant victory that temporarily puts the Eagles of Nice 4th in the championship. Next meeting for our Nice team next Friday on the ice of the Rouen Dragons with a dual objective to make it three wins in a row and take revenge for the 5-0 loss they suffered a little over a month ago against the same opponent. Kickoff at 8:30 PM.
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