Pierrick Rézard’s protégés received an Ile-de-France team known for their fast and attacking transition game, as well as…
Pierrick Rézard’s protégés received a team from the Ile-de-France region known for its fast and attacking transition game, as well as its heavy skating with quality French players. All orchestrated by his coach Jonathan Paredes, elected best coach of Ligue Magnus during the previous year. The task therefore did not seem so simple for the Basques, eager to recover after the correction received on Friday, but also to prepare for this quarter-final of the Coupe de France against Grenoble on Tuesday.
Tic Tac Toe
During the warm-up, no Olivier Dame-Malka or Arthur Larroque. The two defenders were preserved by the medical staff for Tuesday evening’s clash in Isère. Opposite, former Angloy goalkeeper Sebastian Ylönen was also absent. The first ten minutes are to the benefit of the locals. Several times, Anton Vasilyev tries from the slot but finds Antoine Gilbert’s shield. Same result for Fabien Kazarine after a run to goal, or also for Alexey Polodyan who took his chance twice down the left side of the rim. In front of the shooting board the Angloys fail to score and the two formations go out back to back after twenty minutes.
The beginning of the second act is more balanced, but by dint of perseverance the Hormadi ends up finding the fault. The glow comes from tic et tac, the inseparable Russian duo. In the neutral zone, Anton Vasilyev sets the table and invites his friend Alexey Polodyan to dinner, who punches the Ile-de-France defense to place a half-height shot under the shield of the Jokers goalkeeper (1-0, 27th ). After the Basque score opens, the intensity goes up a notch. Thomas Decock, the English captain, drops his boxing gloves and distributes pancakes to his vis-à-vis Anthony Rinaldi. Rebelote minutes later, tempers flared between Nicolas Arrossamena and William Bower as they traded a few sweet words and jabs to the face to fill the penalty area. At the end of a very tense second third, Anglet is in the lead.
A story of extension
Not for long, since the beginning of the last period, only on the right side of the ice, the French international Loïc Farnier finds Mat Robson’s right corner with a wrist shot (1-1, 44th). In turn, Paredes’ men push hard but come across a Mat Robson in great shape.
The money-time arrives at La Barre and, as against Grenoble, Hormadi explodes the cauldron. There are less than three minutes to go, and Thomas Decock overflows on the left wing to serve on a plateau Fabien Kazarine who just has to push the puck to the bottom (2-1, 57th). Very short-lived joy for the English fans, given that 59 seconds from the siren, double outnumbered, Pierre-Charles Hordelalay punished the Basques on the counterattack (2-2, 59th). Send both teams to overtime.
In this very special exercise, the residents of Angloys and Ile-de-France cannot decide. As during the derby against Bordeaux, Hormadi headed in the famous penalty shoot-out. Mat Robson on one side, Antoine Gilbert on the other, put on a show by releasing the first three attempts. Paul Schmitt scores for Cergy, Nicolas Arrossamena replies, but in the end it is the Canadian William Bower who gives the Jokers victory at the last attempt (2-3, penalties).
