| Photographer: Patrick Giaume |
A serious injury and a threat of withdrawal
The first minutes are to the advantage of the Eagles who perfectly control the puck, stifling the Basques with pressing from their defensive zone to the neutral zone. Matejicek recovers from said area, transmits for Chabert who right, finds the top of the bust of Bertein after five minutes of play. Breton is sanctioned in stride for slashing but inferior, Nice will surprise his opponents through Knotek who alone will challenge Bertein and his surgical strike from the right finds the small net of the Basque goalkeeper (5’14 1-0).
Cold shower for Dostal’s men who demand more shots against their attackers. Unfortunately, a sad event will be written during this first act: the Basque back-up Antoine Bonvalot will receive a puck with a full face which will require the intervention of the firefighters because of his serious injury (the entire Hockey Hebdo team wishes him a speedy recovery).
Following this, Anglet did not have the mind to resume the match. After half an hour of negotiation and the threat of a fine for a forfeit, the visitors reluctantly returned to the ice. Pascal will go to jail at 6’58 for concealment but that will do nothing for the visitors. Riendeau gets the first chance for his team but falls on Stojanovic at close range. Nice pushes after a nice movement to three but Bertein delays the deadline. Nice ensures a second collective goal just before the break. From a triangle game, the Heizer-Kopta duo played against the Basque defense and the latter served Knotek perfectly for his double (18’14 2-0).
Nice is logically ahead after this very special first period.
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| Photographer: Patrick Giaume |
Realistic Eagles
The second period begins with two teams involved. The game is pleasant, the contact is regular and the skating is very dynamic. Anglet took off again after a delicate first period where the mind took a hit. Twice, Berntein deflected the shots from Matejicek, who was well placed. Anglet allows himself to leave Bertein before a Nice penalty but the attacks are not built. Arrossamena and Vitou fall on Stojanovic who turns away from the leg and captures in stride in the glove, the shot of the French.
The efforts were rewarded with a goal from Poudrier which took over a shot from Decock in the area of Stojanovic, who could not do anything (31’33 2-1). The Basque positive momentum will come to an end. Hrehorcak makes up for his conceded penalty to score his team’s third goal following a “mess” within the opposing defense (33’05 3-1).
Opportunistic, this goal stuns visitors. Anglet will be penalized with a double penalty: blow after blow, Pons (hang) and Decock (game delay) go to prison and it’s a new goal logically scored by Kopta served by Hrehorcak decidedly in shape with this help (4-1 38’31). Poudrier will end up in prison on the wire (39’48).
This second act was rich in goals, where Anglet finally respected the game and his opponent.
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| Photographer: Patrick Giaume |
A relatively quieter third act
Nice did not take advantage of its superiority during 1’50, the fault of a solid Basque defense and a decisive Berntein twice. Pascal commits a high stick on Batna who falls heavily from his two meters (43’46) and Breton will imitate him at 45’04. Anglet cannot take advantage of this double superiority thanks to an intractable defense from Chabert, Cepon and Matai. Breton is once again penalized for the same fault as the previous inferiority (49’26). Seven seconds later, Vitou is finally rewarded with a nice goal where his powerful shot ended in the back of the net (49’33 4-2). Vitou’s determination made the difference. Stojanovic could not deflect the puck.
Nice fell from indiscipline with a new sanction (Chabert at 53’08) but Anglet once again fell on a compact defense. The end of the meeting will be relatively quieter where Nice will emerge victorious from this meeting.
Nice concluded the penultimate game of the regular season with a victory! After two consecutive defeats, the Eagles had the ambition to go annoy the Hormadi, tough opponent. Obviously, Bonvalot’s terrible injury greatly disrupted this meeting. However, Anglet will have been above its opponent in the collective statistics: 48 shots to 30 and an impressive statistic for the commitments: 49 to 13 for the Basques! That said, Nice will have been realistic in the face of goals. The Eagles will host Amiens for the final day (for the 10th as it happens).
The accident of the evening concerning Bonvalot will perhaps have a “positive” aspect: the installation of the obligatory helmet for the goalkeepers in edge of ice would be a good idea where the zero risk does not exist. Hoping that this incident will go back to the authorities to establish new rules for the safety of the players.
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