Tornado Luxembourg’s Unbeaten Streak Ends in French Ice Hockey League

On Saturday 8 February 2025, Tornado Luxembourg played their 16th match in Group A of Division 2 in the French Ice Hockey Championship, falling in overtime against Coqs de Courbevoie, the league’s fourth-placed team.

Christer Eriksson’s side arrived in Courbevoie on the back of four consecutive victories, aiming to avenge their 2:7 home defeat against Coqs de Courbevoie in late November 2024.

The hosts struck first in the opening period, with Pavel Svintsov finding the net past Jesse Miquel. However, Tornado quickly responded as Viktor Wahlden and Grigorijs Holodkovs turned the game in their favour. While they were unable to hold onto the lead until the end of the period - Atte Peltonen equalised for the hosts - Luxembourg’s team once again took control in the second period.

Chab Filipp netted twice, while Cannon Colm added another goal to give Tornado a solid advantage. Coqs managed to pull one back through Christophe Bourges, but as the teams entered the final period, Tornado held a promising 5:3 lead.

Despite their best efforts, Tornado Luxembourg could not maintain or extend their lead, as Atte Peltonen and Pavel Svintsov struck again to level the score and force overtime. Just two minutes into the extra period, their teammate Arthur Zavani netted the decisive goal, sealing a 6:5 victory for Coqs de Courbevoie. While Tornado fell short, they still secured one valuable point from the game.

Head coach Christer Eriksson reflected on the match: "A good game overall against a very good team. It was more of a 'hold-up' from their side. We made a few small individual mistakes and they made the most of them. In overtime, we should have scored on the 4-on-3, but the puck jumped their way and they capitalised right after becoming full strength. Even though we lost, it was a great game again. This time, it just didn't go our way."

After 16 games in Group A of Division 2 in the French Ice Hockey Championship, Tornado Luxembourg remains in sixth place. Their current record stands at six regulation wins, two overtime wins, two overtime losses and six regulation defeats, accumulating a total of 24 points.

With two games left in the regular season, Tornado Luxembourg will play both remaining fixtures on home ice. On Saturday 15 February 2025, they will face bottom-placed Ducs de Dijon, followed by a clash against Dragons de Rouen 2 on Saturday 22 February 2025. The latter currently sits eighth in the standings.

IK