At the end of an epic match, the Angevins finally won against the Raptors of Gap, beyond regulation time, thanks to the famous golden goal.
Both teams had a remarkable game. The Dukes of Angers emerge victorious with the ax of the golden goal. Four years later, Gap therefore lost again in the final of the Coupe de France after a completely crazy scenario.
Watch or review the meeting
video duration: 02 h 30 min 19
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Ice hockey: Angers / Gap
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Comments: Laurent Bellet, journalist at France Télévisions, Laurent Meunier, ex-captain of the French hockey team and France Télévisions consultant with our journalist Anthony Brulez, special correspondent on the pitch
Angers-Gap, an unprecedented final
Between the Ducs d’Angers and the Rapaces de Gap, the final of the French Ice Hockey Cup is a contest between a lowland club and another, traditional, mountain one. 2 clubs of the French elite with very different trajectories.
Winter is always quite harsh in the Hautes Alpes and to have fun, the Gapençais have abandoned the racing cars of the Monte Carlo rally to return to the first love of the city, ice hockey. Les Rapaces de Gap, currently 5th in the Magnus league, are the pride of the city.
Since the creation of the club in 1937, the high Alps have won 4 French championship titles (1977, 1978, 2015 and 2017), won the league cup in 2016 but they have never succeeded in the French cup, failing against Lyon, in the final, in 2018: “It is certain that this final is special for the whole club analyzes captain Romain Guttierez. For 2 years, the club has changed its policy. We have a young team with a lot of French players (5 foreigners out of the 23 players) and a victory would give an extra boost to this experience. We are happy together, we laugh, sometimes there are rants but we have a very close-knit group”.
Since the start of the season, the Raptors have crossed paths with the Dukes 3 times during Magnus league matches, for 2 wins and a loss, but caution is in order before this final: “Against Angers, these are always very undecided matches, recalls Eric Blais, the coach of Raptors, it is often played with a 1-goal difference. I have a lot of respect for this Dukes team. They have big individualities and they work a lot on the ice. They are impressive.”
It’s true that for 2 years and the inauguration of their new ice rink, the Ice Park, a modern room with 3,586 seats, the Dukes have changed in size. In the past, they have certainly won the French Cup twice (2007 and 2014) but they have also failed 4 times in the final of the Magnus league.
We weren’t born to win. We are hardworking, we work, we structure ourselves and I have the ambition to develop the club’s budget to bring it to 4.5 million euros within 3 years. Hockey in Anjou works. We are going to expand our reception area in the ice rink. To the existing 150 seats, we will add 120 seats to meet demand.
Michael Juret waited a long time before the opening of the Ice Park. Under his authority, the Dukes are well on their way to becoming even more efficient, even if the Covid has disrupted preparation for the final: “This week, we had 9 cases of Covid. With those who were in the recovery phase after injuries, we trained with only 9 players but since Friday morning, the group is complete and we will be on the attack to get a 3rd French Cup ends the President.
Historically, the final of the Coupe de France brings together 14,000 enthusiasts at the Accor Hotel Aréna in Bercy. This year, due to the gauges inherent in the Covid, it was moved to the Aren’Ice in Cergy Pontoise, a fairly bright 3,500-seat ice rink. In fact, the afternoon will be less festive in the stands but still with the same flavor on the ice: that of tasting a title and qualifying for a European Cup. A particularly appreciable double challenge, whether you are Dukes or Raptors.
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