In the first period, it was the Jokers from Cergy who opened the scoring at 5:27 with a goal from forward David Lapierre (1-0). Five minutes later, following a power play, the Eagles equalized through Swedish defenseman Mattias Nordqvist (1-1). The Eagles conceded another goal at the end of the 1st period due to being shorthanded (2-1).
Shots on target: Cergy 12 – Nice 8
The players from Nice were more aggressive and dynamic in the second period. It was Nice’s number 37, Pierre Carreton, who revived hope for the Eagles by equalizing at 29:04 (2-2). Three minutes later, in a counterattack, Lubomir Zeleny outsmarted the Jokers’ goalkeeper and allowed the Eagles to take the lead (2-3). Unfortunately, the Jokers equalized 48 seconds before the end of the 2nd period, a goal that hurt the morale of the team from the Azure coast (3-3).
Shots on target: Cergy: 11 – Nice: 14.
The third period was going to be decisive, as both teams were searching for points to qualify for the finals. At 51:06, young Slovak Viktor Grendel shook the opposing net, allowing Nice to take the lead again (3-4). The Eagles’ coach called for a timeout 6 minutes before the end of the match. Everyone saw the Eagles’ victory coming, but at 57:52, Cergy’s forward Nelson Vargas Dias dampened the Eagles’ spirits by equalizing (4-4). Overtime followed, and the Eagles held out for only 25 seconds before David Lapierre completed a hat-trick (his 3rd goal of the evening).
Shots on target: Cergy: 13 – Nice: 16
Score Evolution:
05:27: 1-0 Cergy-Pontoise: David LAPIERRE (Frédéric HOSTEIN)
10:29: 1-1 Nice: Mattias NORDQVIST (Remi PERONNARD) [5-4]
17:55: 2-1 Cergy-Pontoise: David LAPIERRE (Sébastien GAUTHIER; Frédéric HOSTEIN) [5-4]
29:04: 2-2 Nice: Pierre CARRETON (Mickaël MAHAUT; Marcel HOLCZ)
32:16: 2-3 Nice: Lubonir ZELENY (Mattias NORDQVIST; Augustin GILLARDIN)
39:12: 3-3 Cergy-Pontoise: Sébastien GAUTHIER (David LAPIERRE; Mickaël KARA)
51:06: 3-4 Nice: Viktor GRENDEL (Lubonir ZELENY; Tomas BANAS)
57:52: 4-4 Cergy-Pontoise: Nelson VARGAS DIAS (Vladimir KONOPKA; David LAPIERRE)
60:25: 5-4 Cergy-Pontoise: David LAPIERRE (Nelson VARGAS DIAS; Sébastien GAUTHIER)
