Howard had topped the Senators in homers in each of his seven seasons in Washington — including a thunderous three-year period when he hit 44, 48 and 44 home runs — so fans were hoping for one final thrill.

The final thrill came long after Justus Sheffield made his much-anticipated Mariners debut.

That gave Morant 28 points and Racers fans one final thrill in a season full of them.

And they provided one final thrill, in a third period still hard to believe.

Hewitt gave Tomic, and the other young Australian players who have made headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, a demonstration of what it takes to be a winner, battling back from two sets down to give his fans one final thrill.