ROCKFORD 4, QUAD CITY 2
Rockford tallied four power play goals en route to a 4-2 victory over division-rival Quad City on Friday at the MetroCentre in the season opener for both teams.
Petri Kontiola scored twice for the IceHogs, and newcomer Pascal Pelletier potted the eventual game-winner at 10:36 of the third period. The teams will square off again on Saturday in Moline, Ill.
After a scoreless first period, Kontiola put the IceHogs up 1-0 at 7:12 of the second. But Flames forward Kris Chucko tied the game late in the middle stanza and scored again to put Quad City on top at 7:25 of the third.
Kontiola made it 2-2 just 56 seconds later, and Pelletier’s game-winner came 2:15 after that.
Troy Brouwer sealed the victory for the IceHogs by scoring with 40 seconds left in regulation. The IceHogs finished 4-for-9 on the power play, and their penalty-killing unit held Quad City to a 1-for-11 showing.
Rockford goaltender Corey Crawford picked up the victory with 27 saves, while Quad City’s Matt Keetley stopped 25 shots in the losing effort.
BINGHAMTON 2, TORONTO 1 (SO)
Binghamton captain Denis Hamel tallied the decisive shootout goal to give the Senators a 2-1 road win over Toronto at Ricoh Coliseum in the season opener for both teams.
Josh Hennessy put the B-Sens on top 1-0 with an unassisted goal at 8:59 of the first period. That slim advantage held up until the Marlies’ Tim Stapleton netted the equalizer at 5:03 of the third.
Defenseman Brendan Bell also scored in the shootout for Binghamton, and goaltender Brian Elliott stopped four of five Toronto tries, yielding a goal to Stapleton in the opening round.
Elliott made 33 saves on 34 shots through regulation and overtime in the winning effort. Marlies goaltender Justin Pogge finished with 30 saves.
PHILADELPHIA 2, BRIDGEPORT 1
Claude Giroux’s first goal of the year proved to be the game-winner as Philadelphia opened its season with a 2-1 win over visiting Bridgeport at the Wachovia Spectrum.
Giroux, drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2006, netted a power play goal just 42 seconds into the second period to put the Phantoms up 2-0 at the time.
Bridgeport newcomer Mike Iggulden responded just 18 seconds later to make it 2-1, and neither side scored the rest of the way.
Rookie Matt Clackson netted his first professional goal for the Phantoms, and goaltender Scott Munroe stopped 30 of 31 shots in the winning effort.
HERSHEY 5, NORFOLK 3
Five different players netted goals as Hershey upended host Norfolk, 5-3, at the Scope Arena.
Alexandre Giroux and Chris Bourque posted a goal and an assist in the win, while Oskar Osala, Graham Mink, and Andrew Gordon also lit the lamp.
Bears goaltender Daren Machesney stopped 19 of 22 shots to help the Bears move to 2-0-0-0 on the young season.
Wyatt Smith, Brandon Bochenski, and Paul Szczechura each tallied a goal and a helper for the Admirals in the losing effort.
SYRACUSE 4, ROCHESTER 3
Derek MacKenzie netted a goal and added an assist to lift Syracuse over host Rochester by a 4-3 count at the Blue Cross Arena in the front end of a home-and-home to open the season.
MacKenzie, who shared the Crunch team lead with 25 goals last season, netted his first of the 2008-09 campaign on the power play at 9:52 of the second period.
Rookies Brian McGuirk and Nikita Filatov added goals for the Crunch, and 578-game NHL veteran Mike York tallied the eventual game-winner just 12 seconds into the final stanza.
Filatov was drafted sixth overall by the parent Columbus Blue Jackets this past June.
Syracuse goaltender Dan LaCosta picked up the victory with 27 saves on 30 shots, helping the Crunch win their 16th consecutive regular-season win dating back to last season, one shy of the AHL record.
Rookies Jason Garrison and Michal Repik netted goals for the Americans.
IOWA 5, PEORIA 3
The Iowa Chops fell behind 3-0 but rattled off five unanswered goals to take a 5-3 win over Peoria on Friday at the Wells Fargo Arena.
Peoria’s Julian Talbot scored twice and Brad Winchester once to give the Rivermen a three-goal edge by the 2:25 mark of the second period.
The Chops’ Josh Green and Brian Salcido made it 3-2 before the end of the middle stanza, and Bobby Ryan, Drew Miller, and Andrew Ebbett followed up with goals in the third period.
Joakim Lindstrom chipped in a pair of assists for the Chops, and goaltender David LeNeveu earned the win with 23 saves on 26 shots.
HAMILTON 3, MANITOBA 1
Hamilton opened a two-game, season-opening trip to Manitoba with a 3-1 win over the Moose on Friday before 8,178 fans at the MTS Centre.
Mike Glumac broke a 1-1 tie for the Bulldogs at 16:47 of the second period, and Greg Stewart added an empty-net marker in the third.
Hamilton’s Yanick Lehoux also scored, and goaltender Marc Denis secured the victory with 30 saves on 31 shots.
Former AHL All-Star Michel Ouellet netted the Moose’s lone goal, with an assist going to 2007-08 AHL MVP Jason Krog.
