Toledo Downs Trenton, 3-1

January 9, 2010 - ECHL (ECHL)
Trenton Devils News Release


Toledo, OH - The Devils winless trip to Ohio was sealed Saturday night with a 3-1 loss in Toledo. A sellout crowd of 8000 fans enjoyed superb play from Walleye goaltender Alec Richards and the offensive prowess of defenseman J.C. Sawyer. The duo lifted Toledo to its third win of the year against the Devils in three meetings. Trenton amassed 17 shots in the third period alone, setting up numerous scoring chances, but even five power plays in the final period could not fuel a comeback.

Sawyer scored the first two goals of the game, giving him 15 on the season, the most among ECHL defensemen. His 33 points this season include five against Trenton (three goals and two assists) including two game-winning goals. His first goal of the night opened the scoring late in the first period on a sharp feed from Mark Nebus from behind the goal to the right-wing circle. Sawyer received the pass while coming toward the goal and shot in one motion, beating goalie Dave Caruso under the cross bar at 18:22 for a 1-0 Toledo lead.

A wraparound goal from Jack Combs got the Devils even in the second period at 4:23. Combs' ninth of the year and third in two games came from Tony Zancanaro and Jeff Prough. With one man to beat, Combs rushed past the left post, evaded a defender in the trapezoid and a quickly circled to the opposite side and snuck it under Richards to make it 1-1. Moments later the Devils killed off Toledo's second power play and used the resulting momentum to generate more scoring chances, but Richards took on the role of show-stopper with multiple impressive saves.

Late in the second, during a delayed penalty against the Devils, Bryan Ewing turned out of the left-wing corner and found Sawyer coming into the zone at the top of the slot. Sawyer again used his momentum toward the net to generate a powerful blast which beat Caruso between the legs for the eventual game winner at 15:58 and a 2-1 lead.

The Devils attack surged in the third, with most of the period spent on the power play, including a six-on-four in the final minutes. Numerous quality chances were denied by Richards and the Toledo defense, as the Devils took more shots in the third (17) than they had in the first two periods combined (14).

Toledo added an insurance goal at 15:05 of the third off a Devils turnover in transition. Mike Hedden notched his second assist, passing from the right-wing corner to Bryan Ewing at the right post. Ewing scored his second goal in as many nights to secure the win for Toledo, 3-1

Toledo (19-13-1-3, 42pts) stays within two points of second place Kalamazoo and two points ahead of fourth place Wheeling in the North. Trenton (12-17-3-4, 32pts) collects one point on its three-game roadtrip to Ohio, with a three game homestand upcoming. Now four points behind Elmira, the Devils host last place Johnstown Wednesday at 7 p.m. before a weekend series with Florida.



ECHL Stories from January 9, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central