Saturday, November 12 at 8:30 PM at the Magnan Hall
After a disastrous weekend in the Paris region that saw the Angels suffer a heavy defeat against Villeneuve la Garenne (9-2), along with their main competitors winning, Thomas Fontana’s men are under pressure to secure a victory as they host the conquerors from Caen.
The hockey players from Lower Normandy are now a direct rival for the Nice Angels, who stand two points behind in the rankings. However, the conquerors are in good form, having recently defeated the strong team from Grenoble (3-1), achieved a brilliant qualification for the ConfCup final, and won last Saturday against the surprising team of Paris XIII (7-3).
Furthermore, Caen has historically been a challenging opponent for the Nice team, especially at home, with two losses in the last two encounters (4-3 after leading 3-0 in the 2010-2011 season and 5-4 after leading 4-0 in the 2008-2009 season).
However, a victory this Saturday would allow the Angels to overtake their evening’s opponent and catch up with Paris XIII, who are 7th with 7 points, should the latter lose. The season is still long, but the situation is already becoming critical for President Bélot’s players. Another defeat would further plunge the team into doubt and inexorably settle them in the relegation zone.
It appears essential for Nice coach Thomas Fontana to motivate his players to respond. Firstly, to break the curse and also to address the serious issue of discipline and adherence to the rules.
Finally, the return from injury of Azure captain Cyril Duchassin should benefit a continually understaffed Nice team.
