SAVAGE WASH AWAY HEAT 6-5

The Harrisburg Heat fell just short in a thrilling showdown against the Chihuahua Savage, losing 6-5 in a back-and-forth contest Friday night. 

Joey Tavernese got the Heat on the board early, scoring just 1:42 into the first quarter to give Harrisburg a 1-0 lead. But the Savage responded with two first-quarter goals, including one from Jorge Ríos and another from Cesar Ruiz, taking a 2-1 lead into the second quarter. 

Both teams were scoreless in the second, with defense and goaltending taking center stage. The Heat’s Grant Glorioso had an impressive showing between the pipes, making 13 saves on 29 shots and earning third star of the game honors. 

Early in the third, Roshawn Panton tied it up for the Heat, but Chihuahua’s Ríos answered with his second goal of the night to reclaim the lead at 3-2. Play was then temporarily delayed in the third quarter due to a faulty sprinkler head, causing an unexpected pause in the action. 

The fourth quarter saw a scoring explosion. The Savage extended their lead to 4-2, but Harrisburg battled back with goals from Tavernese — his second of the night — and Maldini Goncalves, knotting the game at 4-4 with under four minutes to play. 

However, the Savage closed out the game strong with late goals from Pedro Castaneda, the game’s first star, and Jaime Alejandro Romero. Mike Da-Silva added a last-second goal for the Heat, but time ran out on the comeback effort. 

The Heat will get another shot at revenge when they face the Savage again tomorrow at 5:05 PM at the Equine Arena.