23.04.2026
SIIL TAKES GOLD IN CHAMONIX IN JUST THEIR FIRST MONTH
On 11–12 April, the SIIL team took part in the international K’Mouss Cup tournament in Chamonix, France. Ten games in two days, with opponents from France and Switzerland. After losing their opening match, the team went on to win the next six games in the group stage, two more in the playoffs, and advanced to the final.
The final against Saint-Gervais unfolded in a way that Charlie Kaufman himself might have envied. After coming from behind twice, SIIL took the lead, 3–2, with 9 minutes left on the clock. Then came a penalty shot awarded to the opposing team after an infraction in their zone by SIIL forward Liam Bonjour, No. 87. Taking the shot was Richard Aimonetto, a former French top-league professional with 10 seasons at the highest level. In the SIIL net stood Nils Bonjour, No. 88, our 18-year-old goaltender and Liam’s older brother. A feint to the right, then to the left — and the puck went into the SIIL net. The score was tied at 3–3. With 5 minutes remaining, SIIL regained the lead thanks to a shot by Fionn King, making it 4–3.
Then came the final twist: with 2 minutes and 07 seconds remaining and SIIL leading 4–3, a faceoff took place in the SIIL zone. The puck flew out of play off Liam Bonjour. The opponent was awarded another penalty shot — their last chance to equalize and send the game to a shootout. It was Nils Bonjour vs. Richard Aimonetto, round two. The forward once again tried to outwait the goalie, but Nils held his ground until the very end. The puck struck his pad.
Another faceoff followed. Two seconds felt like an eternity as the puck became trapped between sticks, and the final shot on the SIIL goal was blocked. Then came the final buzzer. Helmets and gloves hit the ice as the SIIL players embraced and congratulated one another on their first title.
P.S. One detail makes this victory even more memorable: on that very day, Aleksandr Malyzhenkov, founder and captain of the SIIL hockey team (and Dean of the SIIL Faculty of Physics), turned 36, perhaps the best birthday gift one could imagine from teammates and friends.
