The Eagles of Nice were on the road to Gap for the 38th day of the Ligue Magnus. A great opportunity to consolidate the advantage gained on Friday…
The Raptors overcame the Eagles. That’s the sad reality of this Sunday night match. Playing away, the team from Nice has been struggling since mid-December and a win in Anglet (2-1). They have only won once since then in six games. Needless to say, the task was not going to be easy. Nonetheless, there was optimism after the victory obtained two days ago against… Anglet.
From the start of the match, the team from Nice seemed nervous. Gap took advantage and gained the lead in the third minute. Maurin Bouvet, well assisted by Jan Dalecky, breached the defenses of Maralpine (1-0). Nothing too worrying at that point. However, things got complicated for Nice just a few seconds later when Anthony Luciani managed to double the score (2-0). It turned into a nightmare scenario in a very tactical match where chances were quite rare.
The Eagles respond
At the beginning of the second period, Nice caught up. With a power play, the Eagles found a gap in the Raptors’ defense. Teemu Loizeau scored his second goal of the year (2-1). The match got more intense, and penalties were plentiful. The referees called six penalties on both sides, including six temporary exclusions. It was hard to find balance for both teams, and they neutralized each other afterward.
Up until the 50th minute, when another power play favored the team from the Azure Coast. This time Baniel Berzins, already a scorer and assistant this week, equalized for the Eagles (2-2). Riding on positive momentum, Nice found themselves in overtime just like on Tuesday in Briançon. Even though the scenario was not exactly the same, the result was not as hoped. Nice tried to break the jinx, but nothing worked. In the shootout, the Raptors were dominant and handed another defeat to Nice this season in this format (3-2).
There are seven days left in the Ligue Magnus for the Eagles to regain the upper hand. Meanwhile, Cergy-Pontoise delivered a standout performance on the Chamonix ice and thereby took the lead in the standings. The goal now is to inflict the same fate on the team from Haute-Savoie this Tuesday at 8 PM.