After a mixed performance in the first match and a 4-4 draw, the team from Nice had to win on the Lyon ice to clinch the title. They did just that with a 5-4 victory in a packed arena, which was fully supportive of the home team. It was not easy for Augustin Gilardin and his teammates, but in the end, everything went well. The captain believed in it, even though it meant playing an entire season’s worth on one match: “After the first game, we told ourselves, everything is still left to do. It’s never easy to play in Lyon in front of 4,000 people especially since they have never lost at home. We had to create a miracle but we believed in it. It’s the rule that meant we had to play the entire season on this return match. But I prefer games like this, do-or-die. It’s where you see the ‘real men’, where you have to give everything, never give up, exceed yourself.” Peter Almasy thinks he knows the reasons for this success: “Lyon has a more complete team but we had the will on our side. The difference was made there; we had less pressure.”
The hockey players from Nice managed to transcend themselves. Trailing 1-0 in the first period, they managed to tie the score before conceding another goal. The second period started very poorly for the people of the Azure coast with a third goal for Lyon. Fortunately, Peter Almasy’s players quickly caught up. This was followed by a long lull where the teams traded blows until the first significant event that tipped the scales. A Lyon player infiltrated the Nice defense; Augustin Gilardin interfered without committing a foul but, to his surprise, the referee expelled him for two minutes and awarded a penalty shot to the opponents, which was successful. The score was then four goals to two. There were just under twenty-five minutes of play left. The Nice team was outraged by this twist of fate and, just sixty-eight seconds later, mounted a counterattack that followed a post shot and scored their third goal, quickly followed by a fourth.
The scores were level again. There was one period left, or twenty minutes, to net at least one more goal than Lyon. Augustin Gilardin recalls: “At that moment, I thought the first team to score would win this final. That’s what happened when we put the puck into the net. After that, we exceeded ourselves, our goalkeeper had a huge game. We really played very well. We were heroic. Indeed, the moment the final buzzer sounded signifying our victory, I thought of the entire team, the whole group. This year, we were really very united despite some tensions. Our biggest quality was our solidarity, for others. We gave everything for the team. We were so tired to the point that we could no longer sing, let out our joy.”
The coach of the Eagles realizes that this victory hung on a few small factors: “I am very happy to have won, more than relieved. Yet, it’s very possible to be eliminated in the finals. Other teams are good, we had to stay focused. Sometimes, you need luck to make it through. Actually, we didn’t have a very large team, so if we had had injuries, we would have struggled.”
The number 3 and captain of Nice is not worried about that. He simply wants to thank the public, who were very present after the round of sixteen of the Coupe de France against Grenoble in January: “They supported us. It was steadfast support that didn’t let up. We felt a real enthusiasm. They helped us more than just a little. Sometimes, they even set us straight when we were not playing well, we told ourselves that we had to get moving. This year, we really met supporters, people behind our team who pushed us to victory. It’s the biggest crowd I’ve seen in France, the one that creates the best atmosphere. And yet, I’ve seen many rinks.”
It’s a beautiful love story with the fans, which the players are looking forward to continuing next year in division 1. They will then have to contend with teams that have greater resources. The goal will be to perform well in this championship to move up to the Ligue Magnus, the supreme level in French hockey, within three to four years. For the Nice coach, the task is first to build a strong core to start off on the right foot. He will discuss with the players to have a competitive group and to maintain their position without struggling. For this, additional support will be needed as explained by Augustin Gilardin: “We are going to need new sponsors, new assistances to have good seasons. There is potential in Nice to do something good; it’s a large city. I am convinced that we will find new ways to have a beautiful team very quickly.”
That’s all we can wish for Nice, but for now, only one thing counts, sports-wise: to take a vacation. But only on the ice, because all these heroes work outside of rinks. They unfortunately do not live from their passion, as other athletes do.
Nice-Premium congratulates NHCA, its management team, its coaches, and its players for a very successful season.
Photo credit: www.nicehockey.com
