Mersch gains his revenge with the winning goal as Quinn, Amerks win again

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

For Mike Mersch, revenge was best served with a high backhander from the slot on Wednesday night.

Hit in the head as he was bashed into the boards by Parker Kelly’s heavy check late in the third period, Mersch got even not with a check or punch but by scoring the winning goal as the Rochester Americans defeated the Belleville Senators 4-3.

“I don’t know whether he was trying to take liberties or not but when you’re able to put one in the back of the net and help your team win the game, it always feels good,” said Mersch, who, like teammate Jack Quinn, has six goals in seven games and is tied for second in the American Hockey League.

Three times the Amerks (5-2) fell behind by a goal and three times they tied it – on goals by Quinn, Mark Jankowski and Sean Malone – before Mersch scored with just 1:43 remaining.

And yet just moments earlier, the Amerks faced a critical penalty kill after Parker bowled over Mersch, who looked bewildered that the officials ruled the check was legal.

To add insult to the pain, the only penalty went to Amerks defenseman Casey Fitzgerald for retaliation against Kelly.

“Those wall plays at the end of the game are crucial to make sure you get them out of the zone,” Mersch said, “so whatever it takes to make those type of plays, whether you take a hit or not, it is what it is.”

So with just 4:20 remaining and the scored tied 3-3, the Amerks were forced to kill a penalty against a team that was already 2-for-3 in the game.

But as often seems to happen, teams find a way to kill a “good” penalty.

“When they’re honest and mean and sticking-up-for-teammate-type situations, you usually find a way to kill it, that’s just kind of the way karma of hockey works,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said.

Indeed, the Amerks did kill it off, with goalie Aaron Dell making a great stop on a point-blank, down-low redirection by Cedric Pare late in the penalty.

“Sticking up for a teammate, those are the type of penalties we’re happy to kill, not the trip in the offensive zone or the hook on the way back,” Malone said.

Wednesday’s scoresheet looked a lot like most scoresheets from the season. Mersch had a goal and an assist, giving him 6-5-11 through the seven games to rank third in points in the AHL. Quinn also produced a goal and an assist, and he now has 6-6-12, second-best in the league.

Quinn continued to show off his skillset, and this time with Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and much of the hockey department at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial to watch.

When he was sent down by the Sabres out of training camp, Quinn said there was unfinished business in Rochester. While he learned much about the pro game last season as a 19-year-old, he produced just two goals (and seven assists) in 15 games.

“I wasn’t really satisfied; in the back of my mind I wanted to prove what I could do in this league,” Quinn said.

He is doing much more than that.

“I think Jack approaches every day like it’s unfinished business,” Appert said. “When you tell him he needs to go work on something, he just attacks it. I don’t need to go hold his hand for the next month to make sure he does it. He just goes and does it.”

Perhaps just as impressive with Quinn: He’s not hiding on the perimeter. In fact, he was feuding with Kelly all game.

“It’s good to have those kind of battles,” Quinn said.

Said Appert: “Jack is a feisty player, he’s not a perimeter, soft, skill player at all.”

Samuelsson’s season debut: Second-year defenseman Mattias Samuelsson played his first game of the season and was solid and ornery. He was injured in the first prospect challenge game in September.

“He was miserable to play against, he ate time and space, he had some big hits,” Appert said. “I thought he looked like he hadn’t missed a step.”

What’s with the sticks?: Quinn broke three sticks on five shots in the final minute of warmups, then broke another on a one-timer during a third-period power play.

“They’re good for everything but the one-timers,” he said.

Samuelsson also broke his stick attempting a wrist shot from the point but the half-speed shot ended up being the perfect pass to Mersch for the winning goal.

Wednesday madness: The game was the first of 15 Wednesday home games this season and attendance was announced as 2,475.