This Friday, January 3, the Raptors of Gap hosted the Chamonix team at the Alp Arena. The atmosphere was at its height despite Gap’s defeat in the penalty shootout. Final score, 5 to 4 for Chamonix.
Drums, applause and cries of joy. For the first match of 2025, the Raptors of Gap took advantage of a white-hot room to face Chamonix in the Magnus Synerglace League this Friday, January 3.
For this tense match, the Alp Arena was once again sold out. Supporters came in numbers to encourage their team. “We are among the best supporters in the league, we are known because we sing and shout for 60 minutes,” proudly explains Nico, one of the Raptors supporters.
A suspenseful match
The match started well for the Gapençais players who were able to take advantage of some opposing defensive flaws to make the difference with the opening of the score in the 23rd second by Janis Zemitis followed by his teammate Romain Gutierrez at 1 minute 48. But it was without counting on the combativeness of the Pionniers de Chamonix, with the goal of Jakub Izacky at the end of the first third.
During the second half, the Gapençais dominated the match by scoring three goals. Chamonix continued to defend by scoring their second goal, increasing the score to 4 to 2. During the last minutes of the third period, Les Pionniers came back and caused overtime.
Finally, the Raptors of Gap lost 5 to 4 on penalties after having dominated the match. A defeat which leaves a bitter taste for Sébastien Rohat.
“When you arrive with a two-goal lead, it’s unacceptable to lose a match like that.”
The latter highlights a problem of consistency. “A match lasts 60 minutes, not 50, not 55 and for the moment, we don’t know how to play 60 minutes,” concludes Sébastien Rohat. The month of January promises to be busy for the Raptors, with an upcoming match against Cergy Pontoise on Tuesday January 7 at the Alp Arena.
