Rivermen Fall to Havoc 5-4 in Exhibition Matchup
October 13, 2023 - 10:20 pm
CLARKSVILLE, TN – It was a regal environment inside F&M Bank Arena as fans witnessed two of the SPHL’s elite franchises do battle in exhibition action. Despite two goals by Rivermen forward Jordan Ernst, the Rivermen fell just short of the Huntsville Havoc 5-4 in preseason action.
The Rivermen were able to score first as Ernst, playing defense, walked in from the blue line and stepped into the high slot. A hard wrist shot found the back of the net and Ernst’s first of the net put the Rivermen up 1-0. But the Havoc were able to score late in the period after a mini-two-on-one and both teams entered the second period tied 1-1.
The second period once again saw the Rivermen take the lead after a break-away goal by Cayden Cahill but once again the Havoc tied the game soon after. Rookie forward Ryan Nolan put Peoria up 3-2 after a nifty pass from JM Piotrowski from a close angle. But again, the Havoc scored on an odd-man break with just seconds remaining in the period.
Tied 3-3, the Havoc quickly took their first lead of the game in the third period with two goals in the first eight minutes of the third period. The Rivermen though fought back and, thanks to a hard slap-shot from Ernst at the point, trimmed the defect to 5-4. Despite a furious flurry at the end of regulation, the Rivermen were unable to find the equalizer and were forced to settle for a 5-4 loss in pre-season action.
Despite the loss, the Rivermen had plenty of positives to take away and build off of as they get set to open the regular season on October 21 in the Quad Cities against the Storm.
