For this third act of the playoffs, the Nice Eagles welcomed the Angers Dukes this time to the Jean-Bouin ice rink. Despite a fierce desire to get their revenge, the Nice team once again came up short (0-3).
After two very closely contested first matches, the Nice Eagles hosted the Angers Dukes for round 3 of this quarterfinal. Very competitive in the first two games, the Nice team was determined to get a result at home to try to get back into this series.
The start of the match was very competitive. Both teams were trying to implement their tactical plan. The Azure team was playing mainly on the counter-attack and managed to create a few interesting chances. Facing them, Angers took time to build their plays by putting the stick on the puck.
Very quickly, the match became tense. The Nice team showed they weren’t here by chance and were holding their own against the Dukes. Both teams were penalized in turn but neither managed to take the advantage.
Fighting breaks out on the ice
From the start of the second period, the Eagles’ top scorer was very dangerous and had the opportunity to make a difference in a one-on-one situation with Jacob Smith, the starting goaltender in the Angers net. As has been the case since the beginning of the match, it’s the goaltender who makes the difference. Author of a magnificent save in the first period, he clearly allowed Angers to stay in the hunt.
Once again, the match became tense. As in the first period, both teams were battling it out. Galvanized by what was at stake, fights were breaking out all over the place. In the first 40 minutes, nine power plays were called, which is well above the usual average for a Ligue Magnus match.
Nothing to faze the Nice team who accelerated the pace and were camping in the visitors’ zone, which created counter-attack situations on the other end. Alexis Shank, very vigilant, did not let himself be surprised in the first 38 minutes. While Nice was laying siege, the Dukes were going to make the difference on a counter-attack. On a skillfully lifted puck by Romain Gutierrez, Angers come back into the home team’s zone. Too passive in defense, Teemu Loizeau gets the puck stolen from him behind the goal; Cédric Balsamo recovered it to set up Simon Pasquet who scored (0-1).
The Eagles chase but get punished
On the return for the third period, the Dukes wanted to put the game away. Alexis Shank had to work overtime, making several high-class saves. It was ultimately on a counter-attack that the Angers team punished the Eagles with a perfectly executed play. Romain Gutierrez, once again, delivered a precision pass that surprised the Nice goaltender for Jordan Hervé, who scored into the empty net (0-2).
The mission for the Nice Eagles was becoming seriously complicated, having had several chances before without managing to capitalize on them. That is what was lacking for Pascal Margerit and Marc-André Lévesque’s team.
By going for broke three minutes from the end, the Azure team got the puck taken from them in the offensive zone. Without a goaltender, Théo Sarliève only had to fire a shot from distance — which was not a simple task — to definitively put his team out of reach.
The Nice Eagles lost (0-3) in this third round and can no longer afford any mistakes if they hope to continue their adventure. The two teams will meet tomorrow on the ice at Jean-Bouin to make their final stand. Puck drop at 8 p.m.
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