Toledo trips up Cincy, closes on lead in North
1/17/2010CINCINNATI - Toledo pulled within one point of the lead in the ECHL North by knocking off first-place Cincinnati 5-3 Saturday night.
The Walleye (22-13-4) won their fifth straight and now have 48 points. The Cyclones (24-14-1) had won two in a row, but now have 49 points.
Evan Rankin hit the game winner with 10:59 remaining. Scooter Smith scored twice, including an empty netter with 57 seconds left.
Walleye goalie Thomas McCollum won his second game with 30 saves.
Mike Hedden scored on Toledo's second shot of the game. Hedden's power play goal came on assists from Luis Tremblay and Malcolm MacMillan less than four minutes in. Derek Nesbitt made it 2-0 near the end of the first period as Tremblay and Ryan Stokes got the assists.
The Cyclones answered with an early second-period goal. Smith put Toledo up 3-1 in the second before Cincinnati tied it with two goals early in the third period.
Cincinnati went 2 of 11 on the power play, while Toledo was 1 of 5. The Cyclones had a 33-23 advantage in shots.