A controversial 92nd-minute penalty allowed Cavalry FC to claim a point in the opening game of the 2020 Canadian Premier League season against Forge FC.
Cavalry took an early lead when centre-back Dominick Zator headed home from an excellent Ledgerwood corner and were dominant until the half-hour mark in what was a very open and end-to-end inaugural Island Games match.
Against the run of play, Forge found a lifeline on the 22nd-minute when Novak reacted quickest to a loose ball in the six-yard area, tieing the score with an improvised acrobatic finish.
Forge went on to dominate the second half and, after changing their front line, found what looked to be the game-winning goal when Captain Kyle Bekker planted a brave diving header from substitute David Choimere's cross.
It wasn't to be for Forge though as, in the 92nd-minute, Mohammed Farsi's strike was judged to have hit Dominic Samuel on the arm in the penalty area. The controversial spot-kick was driven hard and low down the middle of the goal by Nathan Mavila to tie the game 2-2.
A repeat of last years' final that lived up to the expectation
285-days since spectators last got the opportunity to see the Canadian Premier League in action and it was last years finalists who got things started in Prince Edward Island (PEI).
Canada's smallest province playing centre stage for this year's abridged version of the 2020 league and the fierce rivalry we've come to expect from the Hammers vs the Horses was apparent from the first minute.
The message at the start of the match was that of unity and equality, with the players and the staff taking a knee before the match and the "Black Lives Matter" graphic that was on display in the centre-circle throughout the game.
In true sporting spirit, all the unity was dropped when the referee blew to signal the start of the match, with Cavalry midfielder Elijah Adekugbe setting the tone.
It took only five minutes for Cavalry's number 8's name to be added to the book after a couple of late challenges. His victim, Forge forward Marcel Zajac, got crunching revenge not ten minutes later, receiving a yellow card of his own.
Cavalry started the game the brightest, taking hold of the ball and pinning Forge back to the edge of their penalty area. The high press utilised by Tommy Wheeldon Jr.'s men stopping Forge from stringing together any passes.
Deploying a new 3-4-3 formation, Cavalry made the most of their wide players with Pasquotti causing problems down the right-wing. Nikolas Ledgerwood's deliveries into the box were causing plenty of issues and, on the 11th-minute, Zator headed home from a corner to give Cavalry a deserved lead.
As Forge pushed to come out, they left themselves exposed in what was turning into a frantic end-to-end game. Cavalry's Sergio Camargo exploited the space left at the back, gliding past Krutzen, though he was unable to get his shot away due to a fantastic last-ditch challenge by David Edgar.
Against the run of play, Novak gave Forge a lifeline when he reacted faster in the box to acrobatically convert from a deflected cross from the ever-energetic Johnathan Grant.
A tale of two half and of two lines. Five substitutes make the difference.
After the break, momentum started to shift. From a free-kick on the right side, the ball was dragged back to the edge of the penalty area, a training ground routine which took everyone by surprise, but Bekker's shot was deflected onto the crossbar.
The match settled down in the second half, with Forge getting their foot on the ball and the impressive Sabak taking control of the midfield.
The depth of their squad was apparent as they changed their entire front line. On the 70th-minute, substitute Molham Babouli missed a great chance to take the lead as the forward sliced his shot after finding space in the box, with the ball flying high and wide.
Not a minute later though Forge found their second goal after some good work by Babouli released fellow substitute, Choiniere, down the right flank. Choiniere's delightful cross was met between three defenders by Forge Captain Bekker, whose brave diving header left Marco Carducci with no chance in goal.
Both teams had chances with Cavalry substitute Marcus Haber coming within an inch of equalising, only to be denied by a flying save from Triston Henry.
At the other end, Bekker had a chance to add to his tally and put the game beyond sight but his header wasn't good enough to beat Carducci.
Just when it looked like Forge had done enough to seal the victory, Cavalry were awarded a controversial spot-kick when substitute forward Mohammed Farsi's strike was blocked by Dominic Samuel. The ball hit diving Samuel under his armpit for which the referee awarded a penalty.
The spot-kick was cooly converted, hard and low down the middle of the frame by Nathan Mavila to clinch a point for Cavalry.
What they had to say about it;
Quotes to follow.