The Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc (French for 'Chamonix Mont-Blanc Pioneers') are a French ice hockey team based in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie. They play in the country's top tier, the Ligue Magnus. For their inaugural 2016–17 season, they were known as Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine.
| Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname | Pionniers |
| City | Chamonix |
| League | Ligue Magnus 2016–Present |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Home arena | Richard Bozon Ice Rink |
| Colours | |
| President | Bernard Molliet |
| Head coach | Marc LeFebvre |
| Captain | Numa Besson |
| Website | Les Pionniers |
History edit
Origins edit
In 2016, France's Ligue Magnus adopted an expanded schedule and cut its number of teams from 14 to 12. The league's two Haute-Savoie clubs, the Chamois de Chamonix and the Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz, decided to merge their respective professional teams in order to better face the economic and competitive challenges presented by the new setup. The result of that fusion was a joint team called the Pionniers,[1] splitting its home games between Chamonix and Morzine-Avoriaz.[2] The amateur sections remained separate and retained the Chamois and Pingouins names.[3]
While both towns are located within the same department, they are not particularly close, with Chamonix nested in the Mont Blanc massif and Morzine-Avoriaz part of the Chablais region. Following negotiations between the two municipalities, it was agreed that Chamonix would be the united team's training base for its inaugural season,[4] as well as the owner of its league franchise.[5]
2016-17 season edit
The precarious balance between the two organizations was quickly challenged when the new Pionniers limped out of the gate to a dismal record.[6] Mid-February 2017, head coach Stéphane Gros was dismissed as the team was dead last in the standings. The move was not unexpected from a sporting standpoint, but it further aggravated the Morzine-Avoriaz side as Gros had career ties to both clubs, while his replacement Christophe Ville was viewed as purely a Chamonix man.[7][8] The Pioneers still finished the season in last place and Morzine-Avoriaz renounced the partnership after a single season.[5]
Aftermath edit
As the fusion agreement was more protective of Chamonix's interests, Morzine-Avoriaz suffered the most damaging fallout.[5] Chamonix kept the organization's trademarks and visual identity, and most importantly its position in the French hockey rankings.[5] While their twelfth-place finish should have sent them to the lower division, they ended up being saved from relegation by the withdrawal of Dijon from the Ligue Magnus.[9]
Morzine-Avoriaz on the other hand returned to its previous identity, the Penguins, and had to start all over at the country's fourth level, the Division 3, in 2017–18.[5]
Roster edit
Updated February 5, 2019.[10]
| Goaltenders | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Catches | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 29 | 
|
Lucas Mugnierl | L | 2018 | Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France |
| 33 | 
|
Richard Sabol | L | 2017 | Prešov, Slovakia |
| Defencemen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Acquired | Place of Birth | ||
| 4 | 
|
Geoff Fortman | R | 2018 | Crystal Lake, United States | |
| 5 |
|
Colin Sullivan | R | 2018 | Milford, United States | |
| 25 |
|
Jérémie Penz | L | 2016 | Sallanches, France | |
| 32 |
|
Numa Bessone (C) | L | 2012 | Sallanches, France | |
| 44 | 
|
Maks Selan | L | 2018 | Jesenice, Slovenia | |
| 45 | 
|
Vojtech Kloz | L | 2018 | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic | |
| 57 |
|
Jiri Klimicek | L | 2018 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | |
| 94 |
|
Clément Mermoux | R | 2018 | Sallanches, France | |
| Forwards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player | Shoots | Position | Acquired | Place of Birth | |
| 12 | 
|
Perry D'Arrisso | R | RW | 2018 | Mississauga, Canada |
| 14 |
|
Adrien Glévéau | R | RW | 2017 | Sallanches, France |
| 16 |
|
Julien Laplace | L | C | 2017 | Annecy, France |
| 17 |
|
Fabien Kazarine | L | LW/RW | 2018 | Compiègne, France |
| 20 |
|
Cody Freeman | L | RW | 2018 | Markham, Canada |
| 22 |
|
Quentin Fauchon | R | RW | 2018 | Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, France |
| 27 |
|
Benjamin Lagarde | L | LW | 2018 | Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, Canada |
| 33 |
|
Mathieu Briand | L | C | 2018 | Saint-Pierre, Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| 40 |
|
Erik Higby | L | C | 2018 | New Braunfels, United States |
| 54 |
|
Scott Jacklin (A) | L | C/LW | 2018 | Kimberley, Canada |
| 55 | 
|
Henric Andersén (A) | R | RW | 2017 | Grums, Sweden |
| 72 |
|
Loïc Coulaud | R | RW | 2018 | Gap, France |
| 77 |
|
Maxence Leroux | R | C/RW | 2018 | Melun, France |
References edit
- ^ "Chamonix / Morzine : tout savoir sur les Pionniers du hockey". lessorsavoyard.fr. Groupe Rossel-La Voix. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Alapetite, Alexis (2016-04-13). "Création d'une nouvelle équipe avec la fusion de Morzine et de Chamonix". parlonssports.fr (in French). Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ "U11: Tournoi Megève Tiers de glace". megevehockeyclub.fr. Megève Hockey Club. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
Pingouins, [...] chamois [...] ont bien compris qu'il faut maintenant compter sur les Boucs de Megeve...
- ^ "La naissance des Pionniers". Altus-Vallée de Chamonix. No. 19. Chambéry: Grands Espaces. p. 18.
Pour cette saison 2016/2017, le « camp de base » de l'équipe sera Chamonix, avec des entraînements principalement à la patinoire Richard Bozon.
- ^ a b c d e Théveniau, Yves (24 October 2017). "Comme on se retrouve…". ledauphine.com. Groupe EBRA. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Hockey sur glace: les Pionniers de Chamonix Morzine lancent leur contre-offensive". france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr. France TV. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Changement d'entraineur pour le Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club" (Press release). Chamonix Morzine Hockey Club. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Juillet, Alexandre (17 February 2017). "Hockey sur glace - LM : Stéphane Gros n'est plus entraineur des Pionniers". hockeyhebdo.com. Média Sports Loisirs. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Ligue Magnus: les hockeyeurs niçois doivent maintenir le cap". nicematin.com. Groupe Nice Matin. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine Roster". pionniers-chamonix.com (in French). Retrieved February 5, 2019.
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