We found the title of a new adventure film being filmed near Cergy Pontoise: “Threat to the Aren’Ice”. It fits perfectly with the sporting situation of the Hormadi players (9th with 16 pts) who are preparing to face the Cergy Jokers (7th/17 points), a serious competitor in the race for the play-offs. Currently, a four-team battle is raging in the middle of the standings with Rouen (10th/15 pts) and Nice (8th/17 pts). The differences in points are tiny, the situation is constantly changing.
Two days after the slap received against the Grenoble leader at home (1-7), a sort of self-criticism was made. “It emerged from our analysis that, defensively, it was not good, and that offensively, it was not better,” sighs attacker Fabien Kazarine. It was a tough defeat to take. We are keen to turn the page in a big match with a lot of intensity. Cergy is mostly young players who skate fast. It’s complicated to win but we are really capable of it.”
Several offensive threats
His comments are supported by his coach, Stéphane Barin. “Against Grenoble, we were shaken up in the first five minutes and it cut us short. Morale remains good, it is not an end in itself to lose against them. It’s a big team against whom there was naivety and too many spaces left. We must be aware that everyone who comes (to Anglet) does so to win, not to buy land in Chiberta. So I want to have a good match at Cergy even if we know that hockey is above all a game of mistakes.”
At the beginning of October, the last meeting at La Barre (3-5 defeat) made it possible to identify several offensive threats: Alex Barber (17 points), Aleksi Hamalainen (15 points) and a veteran, Danick Bouchard (12 points). In numerical superiority situations (powerplays), the 38-year-old Canadian is even the best director in the championship (5 goals). “I played with Danick more than ten years ago (in Amiens), he was a big shooter and that remains the same today,” smiles Kazarine. It is important to know how to block him in time but it would also be a mistake to focus only on him.”
Bouchard is wary
“He’s a real scorer,” adds Barin. We have known its strike force for years so we must know how to read its position, its trajectories, and limit its space.” For his part, striker Danick Bouchard – author of a double in October – expects to experience a very good hockey match: “The whole team is impatient to host Anglet. It’s a very good team capable of beating big teams. We are irregular in our performances (Editor’s note, 2-5 defeat against Bordeaux, this Tuesday) and want to remedy this as soon as possible.
At training this Thursday, all eyes were on Hormadi’s new recruit: Nick Master. Arriving a few days ago from Denmark, the 29-year-old American center is applying for this match and will wear number 48.
Cergy (7th/17 pts) – Anglet (9th/16 pts)
Lieu Cergy (Aren’Ice). Hourly Tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Anglet :
The team St-Cyr, Charpentier, Faure (C), Frémond, Blake, Dunn, Lochu, Esipov, Manciot, Rousseau, Deslauriers, Munoz, Rychagov, Polodyan, Quattrone, Cacheux, Puffer, Beaudoin, Kazarine, Baron, Master, Ranger.
Wounded Beaudoin (lower body), Eyre (concussion protocol).
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