Ritz revels in Continental journey

With a CV that takes in spells in Finland, Norway and Denmark, Nicolas Ritz is no stranger to hockey across Europe. In international play, the 30-year-old forward has featured in seven IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships with the French national team, and on the club stage he’s experienced the CHL with Rouen.

However, the 25th anniversary Continental Cup season is his first taste of this competition – and it seems to be capturing the imagination of the Angers Ducs. The French team is in Cardiff, looking to build on its success on home ice in the previous round, and Ritz is enjoying the atmosphere generated by the travelling fans.

“We are very lucky that we have that many fans following us here,” he said after the opening game against Cardiff Devils. “We have a sick rink back home, it’s brand new and there’s a great atmosphere. It’s pretty much full every night.

“But it was kind of a surprise when we were walking around the morning before the game and we saw our fans here. It’s pretty cool to have them there in the arena, it helps us feel at home in a different country.”

On the ice, the competition has gone up a level from the previous round, where Les Ducs overpowered opposition from Romania, Hungary and Croatia to advance to this weekend’s semi-final stage. Now, the standard is more in line with the Ligue Magnus.

“It’s much tighter between the teams,” Ritz said after Angers’ opening 1-3 loss to the Devils. “We’ll know more after we play the others, but it feels pretty close. The intensity, the way the teams skate, the way we played in the first game, it’s all pretty similar to the way we play at home.”