After defeating the Angers leader a week earlier, Nice Elite Hockey fell 5-3 this Tuesday at Jean Bouin against the Rouen Dragons. It’s the third defeat in five games this season, perhaps the most heartbreaking so far.
The siren sounded in the Nice ice rink. The Eagles lost at the very last moments against a Rouen Dragons team that remains unbeaten this season. Yet, the Niçois held their own against their Rouen counterparts for the first 40 minutes.
The two teams neutralize each other at the start of the game
The game starts badly for Stanislav Sutor’s men. Rouen opens the score through Rolands Vigners after only four minutes of play. 1-0 for the Dragons, thanks to a sumptuous strike that goes through the entire Nice defense and lands in Rok Stojanovic’s small net.
It didn’t take long for the men in red to react. Tomas Knotek managed to bring the two teams back to level (1-1, 13th minute). In a close match and with clean play, the locals, in a power play, took the lead with a goal from Jakub Matai (2-1, 26th minute). But the Rouen players had more than one trick up their sleeves.
Following missed opportunities on the Nice side, Mark Flood (Rouen) equalizes for the men in yellow (2-2, 38th minute). Then, it’s Nicolas Deschamps’ turn to drive the point home. With a very good cross, the Canadian international scores the conclusion of a superb collective action by the Dragons. Rouen regains the lead seven minutes into the third period (2-3, 47th minute).
A reversal of the situation at the end of the match
The Niçois still have ten minutes to change the situation. It starts with a new equalizer that comes very quickly. Tomas Knotek sends the puck through a forest of legs, which ends up in the back of Matija Pintaric’s net. The Czech international scores a double and puts his team back on the right track (3-3, 56th minute). A well-deserved goal after a period of Nice possession and pressure in front of the Rouen net.
At that moment, everyone, including the spectators, expects to see potential overtime shortly before the final whistle. But after a moment of inattention, Vincent Nesa (Rouen) launches a final winning counterattack and restores the lead to the visitors (3-4, 58th minute).
Silence envelops the stands at Jean Bouin. The Rouen players finally win with a last-minute goal scored by Rolands Vigners, who also scores a double. It’s the goal too many for the Niçois, who fought bravely until the end.
Five games, already three defeats for the Eagles
Analyzing the match, the Eagles certainly didn’t fall to a much stronger team, but small errors and inaccuracies proved costly. “The score is harsh. Tonight, we don’t deserve to lose like this, especially after such a performance from the players. Rouen didn’t steal this match at all; we are somewhat at fault ourselves for the fourth goal, and they played well,” analyzed the Eagles’ coach, Stanislav Sutor, after the match.
After their match against Cergy-Pontoise was canceled, Nice suffers their third defeat this season, the second at home after Grenoble, and finds themselves in 9th place in the Ligue Magnus standings. For their next match, the Eagles will travel to the Hautes-Alpes to face the Gap team, currently the runner-up to leader Angers.
