“Hungary vs France Ice Hockey Match: Bartalis’ Heroics Seal Overtime Triumph”

“Every time the opposition scored, we were able to respond. And we always responded in the best way. It wasn’t about just waiting to see what would happen and what they would do to us. We took matters into our own hands, scored two goals and forced and that’s how we won the game,” said Bartalis in an interview for the International Ice Hockey Federation’s website.

Right at the beginning, Ylönen’s attention was tested by the later hero Bartalis. Shortly afterwards, the Hungarian team also played a power play, but without a goal effect. In the seventh minute, Galló did not use the chance. When the French then got the first numerical advantage, they were successful and opened the scoring in the middle of the 17th minute. After a 50-second penalty, Stipsicz was sent back into the game prematurely by Bertrand. The sinner himself corrected everything at 19:39, when he equalized with a long-range attempt.

At the beginning of the second half, Ylönen caught Terbócs. In the 26th minute, the Hungarians had a minute and a quarter of a five-on-three power play, but they couldn’t find the recipe for Ylönen. As soon as the French caught their breath, Boudon gave them back a narrow lead from a corner before half time. But in the 34th minute, Gallet made a mistake, instead of a teammate, he only played to the onrushing Galló, who beat Ylönen face to face.

In the third period, the Hungarians did not use the power play at first. In the 49th minute, after confusion by the French in their own defensive zone, Gergö Nagy finished off a well-aimed strike to make it three for two, but Ylönen was alert. Both teams were already more and more cautious with the certainty of a point gain. And when Texier sent his flowing puck wide of the Hungarian goal, it was clear that regulation time would not decide the winner.

In overtime, Texier didn’t take advantage of another opportunity when Bálizs picked him up. Only a few seconds passed and the Hungarians wildly celebrated the extra point. After Erdély’s shot without preparation from the circle, Bartalis was in the right place at the right time and decided the match at 61:22 with a shot into the open goal.

“We talked about it with our teammates that when we get the puck, we signal like we’re going to drive away, but instead we immediately turn around and attack. That’s what we did, and it was almost like a two-on-one situation. During the stop, the puck bounced right at me and I had an open goal in front of me,” Bartalis described the key moment.

The French were frustrated, even though they scored in the third game in Tampere. They played overtime in the third period, but only conceded the second point once. “I felt that during the 60 minutes of regular time, the opponent played with more determination and vigor. It was difficult to match him. He also won more one-on-one battles. For us, the result is seriously disappointing,” said forward Charles Bertrand.