In dire need of results since the end of October, the Eagles of Nice had to rediscover the taste of victory. Facing Anglet, a direct competitor for the playoffs, the victory held special significance.
“A big match with a direct competitor awaits us.” The tone was set yesterday by Alexis Sutor. For this 19th day of the Ligue Magnus, the Eagles of Nice hosted the hockey players from Anglet, a team the Niçois had defeated last month on their turf. Two teams on a similar trajectory in terms of results, capable of delivering impressive performances against the “big teams,” yet also of falling short entirely.
Tonight, the Eagles embraced their role as favorites. However, things got off to a rough start in the first period. A foul by Teemu Loizeau left the Eagles at a numerical disadvantage. Andrei Rychagof seized the opportunity, aided by a former teammate, Ivan Esipov (0-1). The first period remained very balanced, with the score unchanged despite some great opportunities for Nice.
At the start of the second period, Nice pressed on. The Basques were under pressure and committed more fouls, similar to the end of the first period. It was finally during the fifth power play that the Azuréens managed to outsmart the opposing goalkeeper. Harijs Brants turned into a scorer, allowing his team to draw level (1-1).
The Maralpins returned to the ice for the final period with the same intentions. Very quickly, the men of Frantisek Stolc gained an edge and capitalized on their momentum. In quick succession, Nicolas Ruel and then Filip Dvorak secured the Eagles’ lead (3-1). However, the game was far from won as the Niçois endured sustained pressure for nearly 15 minutes. They relied on Conrad Molder, starting that evening, and the Estonian goaltender (20 saves) helped his teammates maintain the lead.
A morale-boosting victory that also benefits their standings, as Nice moves ahead of Anglet and is now just two points away from the playoff qualifying zone. Now, they must confirm this result on Friday at the rink of the league’s last place team, Briançon.
