Two days after the elimination in the Coupe de France, the Gothics of Amiens and Aleksandar Magovac find the Brûleurs de loups. The Slovenian defender, again decisive on Wednesday evening, is one of the weapons on which the Amiens can count to try to secure a result in Isère.
Sole scorer for the Amiens Gothiques in the first two confrontations against the Brûleurs de loups in the championship, which ended in defeats (5-0) and (1-6), Aleksandar Magovac once again played tricks on his old team where he played and was champion during the 2018-2019 season. Wednesday evening, number 29 once again showed off his long throw, which he has the secret to. On the second Amiens goal in numerical superiority, the Slovenian, who was slightly advanced in relation to the blue line, catapulted the puck under the bar of Pintaric’s cage and equalized for Amiens who had just reduced the gap through Gauthier Gibert, also in a powerplay phase. This was not enough for the happiness of the Picards, finally beaten 4-2 after a final goal on a stroke of luck from Magovac against his camp a few seconds before the siren.
« Magovac et Cepon are true professionals »has repeated Mario Richer several times since the start of the season, praising the attitude of his two defenders on and off the ice. “ They work hard all the time, they are competitors. These guys, no matter the score, they’re going to work until the end. » The two Slovenes are also among those who are among the last to leave. The hour of training doesn’t seem to be enough for them and they allow themselves a few extra minutes to improve. “We never stop improving and we do it when no one is watching. These extra minutes help a lot”admitted Aleksandar Magovac before going back to perform a few one-timers (powerful first-intention throw, editor’s note) as he usually does at the end of each session.
Arriving this summer from HK Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), the 33-year-old quickly established himself as a leader on the first defensive line of the Gothics and the duo he forms with his compatriot Kristjan Cepon is full of praise. The latter confided, on October 17, the importance of this complicity between the two players: “ We played together before, in the same duo sometimes, so we know each other well. It’s easier to play with someone you already know. I know his style of play, he knows mine, we know where everyone is supposed to be on the ice and how we can count on each other. » Proof of their efficiency and defensive solidity, the two Slovenians have the best plus-minus of the Amiens squad with a positive ratio at +13, just ahead of Latvian Janis Svanenbergs (11).
Magovac, who has acclimatized well to life in Amiens with his family, gave his vision on the relationship he has with number 9 of the Amiens Gothiques on the ice: “We have a pretty good run and we continue to improve every day, we talk to each other a lot. For us, defense is important first, to have a good plus-minus, it means we are doing a good jobthen the offense comes from there and we just have fun in the offensive zone. »
Decisive 22 times in the league
Aleksandar Magovac is a solid defender, as clean in his passing, his reading of the game as in his interventions. He has only six penalty minutes since the start of the season. But the Slovenian also likes to project himself forward and his statistics demonstrate it: he counts 26 points in 28 games all competitions combined. Which makes him the top scorer of the Amiens Gothiques, but also the fourth most prolific defender in the league behind Grenoblois Kyle Hardy (31 points, 11 goals, 20 assists), again a scorer on Wednesday evening, and Alexis Binner (28 points, 10 goals, 18 assists), and Marseillais Victor Bjorkung (22 points, 5 goals, 17 assists) . If the current top scorer adorned with the golden helmet easily finds himself at the forefront, he does not forget what he is on the ice for: “I like to do special actions, I make more assists, I like to give the puck to our attackers. Everyone likes to score goals, everyone likes to contribute to the team, but you have to take care of the defense firstplay well in our zone, and the attack comes to those who work hard. »
Without Larinmaa, who should not play again in 2024
This Friday, the Gothics of Amiens face the Brûleurs de loups again, 48 hours after the quarter-final of the Coupe de France won by the Isérois. It seems like an eternal start again: the Amiens may never be at full strength in the league this season. They have only been there once, it was in Courbevoie for their entry into the Coupe de France in October. While Noa Besson and Ugo Tocquin were still injured and Justin Bergeron returned to the squad on Wednesday evening against Grenoble, their teammate Jesper Larinmaa was injured on his first appearance on the ice. After the meeting, without any diagnosis really being established, Mario Richer revealed a lower body injury and feared not seeing his Finnish striker again before 2025. The Amiens coach will therefore have to, as he must do in every match, deal with a reduced squad.
Magnus League, 28th day
Friday December 20 – 8:15 p.m., Polesud
Grenoble (1er, 70 pts) – Amiens (5e, 45 pts)
César Willot
Photo credit: Kevin Devigne – Gazettesports.fr
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