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Patrick Oehler/Staff Video

Jeff Miller

The first game in Binghamton Devils’ history concluded with the first victory in team history.

First-period goals by Blake Pietila and Nathan Bastian, along with some Grade-A work in goal by Mackenzie Blackwood, lifted the B-Devils to a 2-1 American Hockey League victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 4,897 at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.

“To feed off their energy in their first game here was certainly a lot of fun,” Pietila said of the huge crowd. “If it’s like this all year, it’s going to be a good year.”

It marked the first time in 15 seasons a team other than the Binghamton Senators played a home game in the Arena. The Senators left for Belleville, Ontario, after last season. The New Jersey Devils moved their AHL squad from Albany to Binghamton and opening night was a success for the hosts.

Jeff Miller

Devils strike first

Pietila will forever be the answer to question: Who scored the first goal in B-Devils’ history?

It came shorthanded, no less.

With Binghamton’s Austin Cangelosi in the penalty box for slashing, the teams set up for a faceoff left of Bridgeport goalie Christopher Gibson. The Devils’ Kevin Rooney won the draw and got it back to Pietila, whose one-timer from behind circle beat Gibson to the far post 8 minutes, 48 seconds into play.

“That’s a designed play, obviously, with me lined up right behind him,” Pietila said. “It was a terrific faceoff and he put it right back on my tape.”

The goal came at 7:29 p.m. – 14 minutes after the start.

Jeff Miller

Penalty shot extends lead

With 4:14 left in the first period, Binghamton’s Bastian had a breakaway but was interfered with from behind by Devon Toews. A penalty shot was awarded and the 19-year-old made it count. He started to the left before heading straight toward Gibson. Bastian then lifted a shot over Gibson’s left shoulder to make it 2-0.

“I really liked the way we skated,” B-Devils coach Rick Kowalsky said. “I really thought the ice slowed the game down a little bit. We did a lot of good things, but obviously, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

Jeff Miller

Goalie saves the day

One of the deficiencies was allowing Bridgeport skaters to move in free on Blackwood, who made 26 saves, including at least five breakaways.

He made a glove save to deny Ross Johnston with 9:24 left in the first period. He stopped Casey Bailey — yeah, the same Bailey who made the AHL All-Star game while playing for the Binghamton Senators last season — on a breakaway with 6:13 remaining in the first period.

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Blackwood saved his best work for the second period, when the Sound Tigers peppered him with 13 shots.

Among the highlights:

► Twenty-eight seconds into the period, he deflected a shot by Toews from the left point.

► About six minutes later he stoned Tanner Fritz on a breakaway and then stopped another breakaway when two Devils collided – that one a kick save at the right post.

► Later in the period, he stopped Bailey again and then got the best of Sebastian Aho on a breakaway.

“You have to have a mindset that you’re not going to let him beat you,” Blackwood said of his success on breakaways. “It’s a confidence thing and you have to get lucky on a few. It’s all about just staying with the guy and not letting him get that move on you.”

Jeff Miller

'Fantastic' performance

In the third period, Blackwood made a glove save to deny Travis St. Denis on a breakaway.

“Unbelievable,” Pietila said of Blackwood. “He’s in his second year now and he’s coming into his own. I couldn’t count them on one hand how many fantastic saves he had. He was awesome.”

Bridgeport halved its deficit with 8:13 left when Scott Eansor re-directed a shot by Mitchell Vande Sompel, a shot that squeezed inside left post.

“He made some big saves at key times,” Kowalsky said of Blackwood. “’That game could have been different if he didn’t make some timely saves.”

The Devils will next play Friday night at Laval.