NOTES for team France :
-Kevin Hecquefeuille (Amiens) was French Rookie of the Year in 2003.
-Nicolas Besch (Rouen) was a very good surprise, finishing 1st in defensemen scoring in this tournament. Good surprise also is D-man Benoit Quessandier (Rouen).
-French best rookie this season, Rouen's Pierre-Emmanuel Bellemare, finished scoreless but played well in the last games.
France beats Norway 2-1, good performance, but lost 7-2 against Belarus, and blew a 3-0 lead vs Italy (lost 5-3). Burnet (Amiens) also had very good statistics in goal (played 2 games, including Norway). He was named in the roster when Hecquet (Sierre, SWI) was injured.
French championship report :
-2003 Champion Rouen, finalist for the European cup, was eliminated after the first round after finishing 5th in the western pool. Only the first 4 teams were selected for the 2nd round. Rouen will play the Mont-Blanc tournament vs Team France, Finland-B (Mestis), Russia-B.
West Qualified : Amiens Gothiques, Brest Albatros, Anglet Orques, Tours Diables Noirs (only 14th payroll, HUGE surprise).
East qualified : Grenoble Bruleurs de Loups, Villard-de-Lans Ours du Vercors, Mulhouse Scorpions, Dijon Ducs.