Eagerly awaiting the break for the Nice Eagles. The hockey players from the Côte d’Azur continue their descent into hell with a fourth consecutive home defeat against the Brûleurs de Loups.
It’s no surprise: the Nice Eagles failed to achieve the feat of beating the reigning champion, Grenoble, on the 14th day of Ligue Magnus. After two heavy defeats against Bordeaux and then in Angers on Friday, and a surprise elimination in the French Cup against Briançon, the Nicois are not in the best shape.
It’s difficult to find the necessary resources when matches come thick and fast. In one month, since their home victory against Marseille on September 26, 2025, the Azuréens have played no less than twelve games, which is a bit more than one match every three days. Add to that the traveling, and despite players well-accustomed to this pace, you have a dark streak that’s hard to break. Especially when you see the level of the opponents. For Grenoble, they’ve picked up the pace in the championship, as evidenced by their overtime victory in Rouen on Friday.
While one might have counted on the fatigue of the Brûleurs de Loups, François Beauchemin’s teammates made the match easy right from the start. He, well-served by Christophe Boivin and Alexis Binner, scored the first goal of the match only four minutes into the game. The Nice supporters, who filled the stands of the Jean-Bouin ice rink, might fear the worst. Especially as Grenoble is pressing and seems unwilling to let Nice dictate the game.
Opportunities are rare for the Eagles. The fragile defense of recent weeks cracks again a little before the tenth minute of play. This time, it’s Nicolas Deschamps who crushes Alexis Shank, back in goal tonight. The score is already heavy at the beginning of the match, but Nice will take advantage of a slight relaxation by Grenoble to score in turn. Well assisted by Loïc Coulaud and Colin Morillon, Jordan Mugnier scores his first goal of the season (1-2).
Hope…
The match is reignited, especially since the debates slightly balance out. At least until the start of the second period. Grenoble steps up and tests the Eagles’ defense, which doesn’t yield! Alexis Shank manages to keep his goal intact by making twelve saves in those twenty minutes. Hope is reborn. Both teams are disciplined and leave very few power play opportunities. So, everything will be decided in the third period.
It’s in heated moments that you see great teams pulling through. Grenoble returns to the ice with a firm intention to finish it. Fredric Weigel increases the score for the Brûleurs de Loups (1-3 at the 42nd). Nice tries everything by pulling their goalie at the end of the match. In vain. Grenoble even takes advantage to score a fourth goal, courtesy of Sacha Treille, putting an end to Nice’s hopes.
Nice falls once again (1-4) at home against Grenoble. In the standings, the Nice Eagles find themselves 5th in Ligue Magnus before heading once again to Bordeaux on Tuesday, and then welcoming Angers. Hoping not to experience a sense of déjà vu…
