Cergy-Pontoise vs Guildford

Guildford's two-goal first period effectively ended the contest as a contest. Boudrias and Sanford struck before the first break, and when Alvaro made it 3-0 early in the second period, Cergy faced a mountain they could not climb. The French side's late consolation came with the result already settled.

• Karl Boudrias: Opened the scoring in the first period, setting the tone for Guildford's dominant display in his first pre-season outing.
• Cole Sanford: Doubled the lead before the first intermission — the kind of finishing Guildford will need when the EIHL season starts proper.
• Matt Alvaro: The captain added Guildford's third in the second period, leading by example in the first pre-season game.
• Josh Waller: Capped the night with a third-period goal to round off a comprehensive team performance.

The 4-1 scoreline tells the story of a one-sided contest. Guildford out-shot and out-chanced their French hosts across all three periods, with the two-goal first period giving them a cushion that allowed controlled play through the middle frame. Cergy's consolation was their only sustained offensive success of the night.

This was Guildford's first of five pre-season games before competitive action begins. The Flames — who finished sixth in the 11-team EIHL last season with a 23-28-3 record — next face Bristol on 29 August. Cergy-Pontoise continue their own pre-season build-up ahead of the 2026/27 Ligue Magnus season, which begins in September.

Head coach Paul Dixon had flagged a "different approach" to pre-season, extending the schedule to five games and a full four weeks of training. "We fully expect when the puck drops on Cup competition that this team will be ready to go," Dixon said before the trip.

Guildford delivered exactly what a pre-season opener should look like: sharp finishing, controlled goaltending and a professional road performance against a respectable opponent. The Flames' trip to France served its purpose as both a team-building exercise and a solid first step toward the new season.