Tomorrow, Friday, the Tornado will set sail for the French Basque country. Heading for Anglet for a historic quarter-final second leg of the French championship (D3) on Saturday (20:30). After their 6-2 win in the first leg, the Luxembourgers will be defending their 4-0 lead to reach the final four for the first time in their history. The Final Four is a 3-day weekend (3, 4 and 5 May) that pits the 4 best teams in the French championship against each other in a single venue, in this case the Patinoire Trimolet in Dijon (or the Patinoire Cité Glace in Chalons-en-Champagne under certain conditions). Of these 4 teams, 3 will advance to D2 this season as a result of a complete reorganisation of the leagues in France.

 

But we've already gone too far. What's at stake this Saturday is victory, in a smaller rink, similar to what you find in North America. Our boys will have different points of reference, but that won't stop them from maintaining their lead and taking their place at the big boys' table in Dijon or Chalons.