A year ago almost to the day, the Tornado clinched a playoff place in extremis against Briançon. Neither in the first nor in the second leg did the Tornados manage to trouble the Alpins (4-2 away and 4-2 at home). A fine Philippe Lepage even kept up appearances.

1 year later, the blues fell again to Briançon II, this time in an interclassification match. A match designed to reward the 1st and 2nd places in the group, with no real stakes involved, allowing the protagonists to keep up the pace while the lower-ranked teams face off in the 1/16th final.

This year, although the first leg was tight (4-4) and of high quality, the second leg left nothing to be desired. The Tornado left Briançon groggy from the start, already leading 5-0 after 10 minutes. Briançon, perhaps dulled by the long journey or less motivated by the lack of stakes, never recovered. The final score was 10-1, with Conor Leonard scoring five times (including a hat-trick in the first half). The only blemishes were injuries to Conor Leonard (forehead wound) and Philip Dahlgren (shoulder). It's too early at this stage to say whether or not they'll be able to take part in the next game.

Now it's time for the knockout stages. In the 1/8th final, the Tornado will face either Mulhouse or Besançon. Their 1/16th return match is this Sunday (19:15). Mulhouse won the first leg 4-2 in Besançon. More information tomorrow