The two semi-finals of the Ligue Espoir U20 are taking place from Friday to Sunday to determine the final four teams. At the same time, three teams will compete in the bottom table ranking tournament.
Ligue Espoir U20
Semi-final A At home in Polesud, Grenoblois are favorites to reach semi-final A after finishing as the regular season leaders. The Loups de Loups also have the best defense in the regular season with 36 goals conceded and the best attack with 117 goals scored. Behind them, the second place for the final four will likely be between Amiens and Angers. The Gothiques surpassed the Dukes by three points in the standings. The two teams each won one game in their matchups. Anatole De Mali will try to lead Amiens to success, having finished with 27 points including 17 goals! For the Angevins, Loïs Gonnard will be the one to watch in goal. He has started the most matches this season (22) and has recorded two shutouts. The last team qualified for the Ligue Espoir U20 playoffs, HC 74, arrives in this semi-final as the underdog. The Savoyards will have to step up their game to hope for a qualification.
Friday, April 17 matches – Grenoble vs. HC 74 (4:30 PM) – Amiens vs. Angers (8:00 PM)
Saturday, April 18 matches – Amiens vs. HC 74 (12:30 PM) – Grenoble vs. Angers (4:00 PM)
Sunday, April 19 matches – Angers vs. HC 74 (2:00 PM) – Grenoble vs. Amiens (6:00 PM)
Semi-final B Semi-final B will take place at the Lacroix Island in Rouen throughout the weekend. The hosts had the second-best record of the season, including the second-best offense (113 goals scored). This offensive dominance is impressive as five Rouennais are in the top 10 points-scorers. Louis Bailleul leads the way and is the only one to have reached 30 points (31). Right behind him, Sacha Brzezula has recorded 29 points and is the top scorer with 19 goals. He will try to defend Caen’s colors in these three matches. Sixth and seventh in the regular season, the Ours and the English will try to cause a stir. Villard-de-Lans will look to capitalize on their powerplay with a success rate of 20.7%, while the Hormadi will aim to defend as well as in the regular season. The Basques finished with the second-best defense but the second-worst attack in the championship.
Friday, April 17 matches – Rouen vs. Anglet (4:55 PM) – Caen vs. Villard-de-Lans (8:25 PM)
Saturday, April 18 matches – Rouen vs. Villard-de-Lans (4:55 PM) – Caen vs. Anglet (8:25 PM)
Sunday, April 19 matches – Villard-de-Lans vs. Anglet (1:40 PM) – Rouen vs. Caen (4:55 PM)
Ranking Tournament 9 to 11 At the Aren’Ice, Cergy-Pontoise, Gap, and Strasbourg will compete for the 9 to 11 places in the Ligue Espoir U20 rankings. The matchups between these teams have been tight this season. Will this decisive weekend be the same? The Jokers have a record of three wins to one loss, against Strasbourg (3-6). But all their wins have been by the narrowest margin. The Étoile Noire won a match against the Parisians and two against the Gapençais, but in extra time (4-3 tab and 3-2 prl). The Rapaces won a face-off against the Strasbourgeois and played three games in overtime. Anything is possible in this ranking tournament for places 9 to 11 taking place from Friday to Sunday.
Friday, April 17 match – Cergy-Pontoise vs. Gap (8:00 PM)
Saturday, April 18 match – Strasbourg vs. Gap (8:15 PM)
Sunday, April 19 match – Cergy-Pontoise vs. Strasbourg (2:30 PM)
Broadcast The Ligue Espoir U20 and U18 matches will be broadcast on the platform: https://www.hockeyfrance.tv/. Subscription prices can be found directly on the site.
