Angers — Briançon: 3:4, Ligue Magnus

Angers and Briançon met in Ligue Magnus on 29 September, the visitors claiming a 4:3 victory away from home. The result shifts the momentum between two sides that had been running in opposite directions all season.

By then Angers sat fourth after five games, four wins and a single defeat. Briançon were eighth, two victories offset by three losses. The gap between them looked wider on paper than the scoreline suggested.

We had backed the hosts, giving them 73 per cent confidence. The match refused to follow that script. Briançon found a rhythm Angers could not contain, and the home defence looked flat-footed when it mattered most.

The visitors' recent form had been mixed — a heavy 5:0 loss to Nice Hockey Côte d'Azur followed by a 4:0 win over Marseille. Angers, meanwhile, had won four straight before this setback. The scoreline told a different story to both runs.

The result leaves Angers still fourth but with their winning streak interrupted. Briançon move closer to the middle of the table, though the point total says nothing about what this match actually revealed.