Continuation of the marathon of matches for the Nice Eagles. In Rouen, Pascal Margerit’s players had a tough challenge against the champion of the 2023-2024 season.
Some evenings are just like that. This Friday, the Nice Eagles were in Normandy to play the 7th day of the Ligue Magnus. A match that pitted them against their playoff executioners from two years ago, Rouen. A solid team that, like Nice, had lost only one game this season. In the standings, both teams were therefore tied and would be separated tonight on the ice.
Very quickly, the home team took the advantage thanks to Anthony Rech in a play led by Florian Chakiachvili and Patrick Holway. As the favorites of this matchup, the Dragons could hope for an easy game. But Nice this season has shown an ability to react under any circumstance, and they would prove it again tonight. Barely two minutes later, Robin Johansson sent the puck into the Rouen goalkeeper’s net (1-1 in the 6th minute). Everything had to be redone in this game, which would turn in the second period.
While Rouen was dominant for most of the game, it was Nice that took the lead after passing the halfway mark. More incisive upon returning from the break, the Eagles took the lead for the first time in the match with a goal by Teemu Loizeau. The players from Nice did not falter and continued the match at a high pace. Despite this, the Dragons managed to equalize just before the end of the second period thanks to Charles Schmitt (2-2 in the 36th minute).
The goal of hope for the Nice Eagles
The third period restarted on the same basis as the previous ones with strong engagement from both sides. The two teams traded blows until Rouen regained the lead six minutes from the end with a goal from Loïc Lamperier (3-2). The Nice Eagles had no choice but to play with an extra attacker by pulling their goalkeeper, Alexis Shank. A gamble that paid off! At the climax, with less than thirty seconds left to play, Jesper Larinmaa scored his fourth goal of the season and secured an equalizer for the Eagles (3-3).
The two teams ended up in overtime but couldn’t break the tie during the additional five minutes. Thus, the match was to be decided by a shootout. Off to a good start, Nice took the lead after the first two shots. A streak of misses followed, with two failures putting Rouen back in the race. The pressure was palpable among the shooters, and the Eagles couldn’t score again. Finally, it was on the eighth shot that Loïc Lamperier secured the victory for the Rouen Dragons (4-3).
While the outcome was cruel, the content of the match was interesting for the Nice Eagles. Especially as Marc-André Lévesque’s players are expected in Amiens this Sunday. The match kicks off at 7 PM.
