WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins began the new year the same way they ended 2014 – with a shutout – as Matt Murray turned away all 30 shots that came his way in a 5-0 win over the Binghamton Senators on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
The Penguins exploded offensively in the first period, scoring three times over a span of 
4:10 to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton notched the game’s first goal at 4:09 of the opening frame on some pretty passing by the top line. Conor Sheary looped into the slot with the puck and sent a reverse pass to the near post for Tom Kostopoulos, who whipped a feed across the crease that was lifted to the top of the net by Nick Drazenovic.
Sheary then became the second Penguins player to reach double digits in goals, redirecting a point shot from Taylor Chorney past the right pad of goalie Andrew Hammond at 6:44 of first.
The Penguins rounded out their three-goal first when Sahir Gill carried the puck into the Binghamton crease and had his shot deflect off a Binghamton player and into the net, crediting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward his first American Hockey League goal.
Matia Marcantuoni also recorded his first AHL marker and made the score, 4-0, at 6:17 of the second when he buried the rebound from Taylor Chorney’s shot. Drazenovic capped off the Penguins scoring and a three-point night (2G-1A) on a power play goal with 6:11 left until the second intermission.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton held the Senators to five shots in the third period and Murray (7-6-2) kept the opposition off the scoreboard to match his teammate Jeff Zatkoff with his third shutout of the season. Hammond made in 23 saves on 28 shots in the loss for Binghamton.
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