This weekend, the final of the U18 Espoir League took place in Saint-Gervais. Rouen is the new French champion in this category! In the U20 category, the Gap Rapaces were looking for their first victory of the season, before a second one this Wednesday.
U18 Espoir League
Final
Third in the regular season, but with 12 consecutive wins to finish the regular season, the Rouen Dragons were aiming for the title in the U18 Espoir League against HC 74, Grenoble, and Amiens. The Rouen team had a perfect start by winning 4-2 against Grenoble and then 2-1 against the home team, HC74, with a score of 2-1 to claim the trophy. The defeat against the Gothiques had no impact. HC74 finished second with a good first match ending 4-2 against the Gothiques and a strong finish of 5-2 against the Loups de Loups in front of over 500 spectators. The highlight of the weekend was the Isérois’ 17-1 victory against the Picards. With this impressive win, Paul Belval finished as the top scorer with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists).
Saturday, April 4 matches
- Grenoble 2-4 Rouen
- HC 74 4-2 Amiens
Sunday, April 5 matches
- Grenoble 17-1 Amiens
- HC 74 1-2 Rouen
Monday, April 6 matches
- Rouen 2-5 Amiens
- HC 74 5-2 Grenoble
Ranking Tournament (5-8)
The hero of the weekend was Noah Gouyette! The Villard-de-Lans Bears goalkeeper achieved two shutouts in their two matches, 4-0 against Anglet, 3-0 against Cergy-Pontoise, contributing to his team’s final fifth place. The other match ended in a 3-2 victory against Caen. Cergy-Pontoise Jokers finished sixth after losing their last match against the Bears.
Saturday, April 4 matches
- Caen 3-5 Cergy-Pontoise
- Anglet 0-4 Villard-de-Lans
Sunday, April 5 matches
- Anglet 3-4 Cergy-Pontoise
- Caen 2-3 Villard-de-Lans
Monday, April 6 matches
- Villard-de-Lans 3-0 Cergy-Pontoise
- Caen 0-6 Anglet
Ranking Tournament (9-11)
The last three teams of the championship battled intensely throughout the weekend, with each team ending with a victory and a loss. Thanks to a 4-0 victory, the Gap Rapaces finished as leaders.
Saturday, April 4 match
- Angers 1-3 Strasbourg
Sunday, April 5 match
- Strasbourg 0-4 Gap
Monday, April 6 match
- Angers 3-2 Gap
U20 Espoir League
Amiens secures a podium spot at the right moment in their last home match of the season. The Gothiques earned a six-point lead over Angers with a 4-1 victory. Thomas Boisson was the star of the match with a double and an assist.
The Rapaces secured their first victory of the season with a 2-1 win in regulation against Strasbourg in their 22nd match. Axel Merard, Aliks Utans, and Raphaël Chiarillo scored crucial goals in the last ten minutes.
On Sunday, April 5 matches:
- Amiens 4-1 Angers
- Strasbourg 1-2 Gap
Wednesday, April 8 match
- Villard-de-Lans vs. Gap
Broadcast
The U20 and U18 Espoir League matches will be broadcasted on the platform: Hockey France TV. Subscription prices can be found directly on the website.
