The Tornado Luxembourg travelled to Metz for the penultimate day of the regular season. It was vital to take 3 points to stay in the race for second place in Group C against Evry-Viry II.

 

As is often the case this season, the first 10 minutes gave the illusion of a thriller. The rigorous, attacking Luxembourgers were unable to find the net, however, and even gave the Grenats a few chances. But Conor Leonard opened the scoring (10'38) on an assist from Vesa Hirvonen and Antoine Thomas, and put the whole team on the back foot. The Tornados returned to the locker room with a 3-0 lead (Conor Leonard x2, Philipp Dahlgren). In the 2nd period, the Whites scored 5 goals (Colm Cannon x2, Vesa Hirvonen, Jonas Mullo and Henri Öörni). With an 8-0 scoreline, the main pitfall would have been to take it too easy or give in to the home team's provocations. Nevertheless, the final third was a serious affair. Despite conceding a goal on the restart, the cold snap was short-lived and of no consequence. The Tornado continued to play a seductive game, scoring 8 goals in 20 minutes (Conor Leonard x3, Grigorijs Holodkovs x2, Colm Cannon, Thierry Beran, Adrien Maurer) against the Messins, who had probably admitted a little too early that the playoffs were a mirage and that their season was definitely over. 1-16 final score.

 

Meanwhile, Evry-Viry II won 2-1 in Champigny. The Tornado are still 3 points ahead of their rivals in 2nd place, who are one match behind. The Tornado host EVH91 next Saturday (19:00) in Kockelscheuer (get your ticket). The winner is likely to finish second in Group C. Second place is vital, as it means a match d'interclassement rather than a match de barrage. The match d'interclassement guarantees a place in the Round of 8 and only determines a place in the playoff draw. The match de barrage, in the event of 3rd place, is a direct elimination round of 16.