Chris Kelly and Jason Spezza each recorded four points as Binghamton posted a 5-3 win over Norfolk at the Broome County Arena on Friday night.
It was the teams’ first meeting since the Admirals posted back-to-back shutouts to sweep their qualifying series in last year’s postseason.
Kelly had a goal and three assists along with a plus-5 rating for the night. Spezza scored twice, chipped in two assists and was a plus-4.
Binghamton failed on each of its nine power plays, but scored two shorthanded goals in the second period to break a 2-2 tie.
Brandon Bochenski and Charlie Stephens also scored for the Senators, and Ray Emery made 32 saves.
Michael Leighton, who had pitched three straight shutouts on Broome County Arena ice, also had 32 saves for Norfolk.
The victory was the 499th in the AHL career of Binghamton co-coach John Paddock, who along with Dave Cameron has the Senators off to a 4-0 start on home ice this year. Paddock can become just the third coach ever with 500 AHL wins as soon as Saturday, when the Senators host Manitoba.
Elsewhere on Friday:
Manchester got a goal and two assists from Yanick Lehoux and moved to 5-0-0-0 with a 5-0 win over Bridgeport… Hartford moved to 5-0-0-0 on the year as Dominic Moore and Jed Ortmeyer scored 67 seconds apart in the third period, sealing a 3-1 win in Lowell… Grand Rapids (5-1-0-0) suffered its first loss of the year as Kari Lehtonen made 26 saves to lead Chicago to a 2-1 win over the Griffins… Jay Bouwmeester scored his first two AHL goals in the third period of San Antonio’s 4-1 win over Cincinnati… Marcel Goc scored twice and St. John’s native Ryane Clowe had two assists as Cleveland defeated the Maple Leafs, 5-1… Tomas Surovy and Rob Scuderi had a goal and an assist each as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton beat Albany, 4-1… Worcester scored four times on eight shots in the third period to rally past Providence, 5-2… Antero Niittymaki made 29 saves as Philadelphia downed Hamilton, 4-1… Peter Budaj (35 saves) and Pascal Leclaire (21 saves) dueled to a scoreless tie through 65 minutes, before Marek Svatos and Eric Perrin converted in the shootout to give Hershey a 1-0 win over Syracuse, the Bears’ first “W” of the season… Nolan Baumgartner scored a power play goal 23 seconds into overtime to lift Manitoba past Rochester, 3-2… Jamie Storr made 32 saves to help Springfield gain a point, but Portland struck on three of its four shootout attempts to earn a 2-1 win over the Falcons… Kyle Wanvig‘s goal with 5:53 left in the third stood up as the difference in Houston’s 3-2 victory at Edmonton… Scottie Upshall scored shorthanded and Brian Finley made 31 saves as Milwaukee blanked Utah, 1-0.
