By KEVIN OKLOBZIA
The Rochester Americans held a welcome back party on Friday night.
They said welcome back to Jack Quinn. They said welcome back to Michael Mersch. They said welcome back to Mark Jankowski.
And then they said welcome back to winning, Amerks style, by defeating the Cleveland Monsters 5-4 in front of 5,542 fans at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
Quinn scored the Amerks first goal and later set up a pair by linemate JJ Peterka. Mersch scored their second goal and Jankowski helped set up two as the Amerks improved to 29-23-4-2 by winning for just the fifth time in 14 games.
“Sometimes when you’re not playing you realize how much you miss not being able to play,” Quinn said.
Their lineup depleted for two months lineup because of injuries and recalls, the Amerks rapidly are starting to resemble the team that went 16-8 through the first 24 games.
Quinn and Peterka worked magic in the first two month as linemates, and that chemistry – eventually – was on display again Friday.
“Not in the first period,” coach Seth Appert said. “I thought it was terrible. But those two have played together a lot this year so you did start to see that as the game wore on and they started hunting pucks and creating turnovers.”
Appert said he actually was concerned how the return of three marquee players would impact the psyche of the group.
“You get some guys back in the lineup and you worry as a coach the guys are going to think, ‘It’s going to be a little easier now,’ ” Appert said. “We’ve been scratching and clawing for survival for six to eight to 10 weeks, and it’s just natural to think that way.”
Sure enough, Cleveland struck first, with Jake Christiansen scooting around defenseman Nick Boka to score 16:36 into the first period.
But Quinn tied the score 4:20 into the second period off a designed faceoff play in the offensive zone. As the puck went back to the point, Quinn curled down low and received the pass deep in the left circle.
The play should have him passing to Peterka in the slot, but he was covered, so Quinn darted to the net and, from a seemingly impossible angle, slipped a high shot in on the short side as goalie Jet Greaves worried about a pass to Jankowski.
“They’re just special talents,” Mersh said of Quinn and Peterka. “They know what to do with the puck.”
As does Mersch. Just 18 seconds later, he gave the Amerks a 2-1 lead with is 20th goal, but the Monsters needed only 29 seconds to tie the score when Carson Meyer scored on a breakaway.
Arttu Ruotsalainen and Meyer traded goals as the score moved to 3-3, then Quinn let his hands do the work.
He darted up the ice on right wing and into the Monsters zone before dishing to Peterka, then continued his drive toward the slot and helped create a screen. Peterka’s low snap shot eluded Greaves just 39.5 seconds before the second period ended.
Then 3:08 into the third period, Quinn really showed what he can do with the puck, and how he has 20 goals and 21 assists in 27 AHL games this season.
Jankowski won the puck battle on the end wall and passed to Quinn at the left edge of the crease. It was prime scoring position and not many players would pass up the shot.
Quinn, however, calmly made the perfect pass across the deep slot and Peterka was alone to bury it.
“I was just hoping he saw me,” Peterka said.
For the rookie linemates, it was role reversal.
“He’s been the one giving me those passes all year,” Quinn said, “so it was nice to be able to return the favor.”
Especially in a situation that would dictate shot for most players.
“That was a quick, hard area,” Appert said. “The thing about it which was special is that Jack Quinn is considered a goal-scorer, and he’s lived up to that. But a lot of goal-scorers are one dimensional and he is so not one dimensional.
He can play defense, he can check, he can hunt pucks and he has elite vision on top of his goal-scoring ability.”
Quinn and Mersch brought more than just their scoring talents back. Mersch’s leadership has been revered in the Amerks dressing room, he’s not alone in providing guidance.
“Jack Quinn’s leadership was missed as well,” Appert said. “He is an exceptional young man. He’s a driver of our identity and our competitiveness.”
Which explains why the Amerks returned to their winning ways.
Notes: Forwards Sean Malone and Ryan MacInnis, out with lower body injuries, have been practicing and Appert said he would be “very surprised if they’re not in the lineup next week.”
Defenseman Brandon Davidson limped off the ice 12:47 into Friday’s game with some sort of lower body injury and did not return. Appert didn’t have an update after the game. Davidson twisted either an ankle or knee during a defensive zone battle for the puck in the corner.
Defenseman Ethan Prow, who was hurt on Sunday at Syracuse, is a long shot to play Saturday but should be ready next week.
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