By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — When your season ends before it should, when you are deprived a chance to play when the games matter most, when you have opportunity unjustly taken away, you don’t forget why.
On Sunday evening, Rochester Americans captain Michael Mersch proved that.
Five months after Utica Comets defenseman Robbie Russo brought a premature end to Mersch’s season by delivering an illegal check to the head in Game 3 of the second-round playoff series, the two met again on the same stage, albeit in a game that mattered little.
Clearly looking for revenge but also intent on making an even more important point about how the game should be played, Mersch fought Russo 32 seconds into the third period of Sunday’s American Hockey League preseason game at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
This was no sneak attack. As the puck left the Utica zone, Mersch and Russo stayed behind. They chatted briefly, then dropped the gloves and skated toward open ice to fight. They exchanged an initial punch or two before Mersch knocked down Russo with a barrage of right hands. Both then got up and skated to the penalty boxes to serve their five minutes.
Point made. Score settled.
“I think there’s a way things are handled in this game, and need to be handled,” said Mersch, who suffered a concussion from the hit back in May and couldn’t play in the final two games of the series, or in the following series against Laval, when the Amerks were eliminated.
“It just wasn’t for me personally, I think it was for our team and what we stand for as a team,” Mersch said. “I don’t really want to dwell on it because there’s a lot of things that happen throughout a season. It’s not just that one instance, it’s what we stand for as a team throughout the whole season.”
Russo received a one-game suspension for the hit, which the Amerks organization believed was far too lenient considering the severity of the check and the injury it caused.
Payback in the time-honored hockey tradition was inevitable.
“Russo had the predatory, dirty hit that ended our captain’s season, before we ended theirs,” Amerks coach Seth Appert said. “That’s why he’s our captain; he doesn’t need anybody to go fight his fights. I think he put him in his place there a little bit.”
As for the game …
Utica stormed a deer-in-the-headlights Amerks team in the first period, scoring three goals while outshooting Rochester 15-0. That’s right, the Amerks didn’t have a shot on goal and ended up losing 5-1.
Their seven rookie forwards, and a lot of veterans, were clearly in need of real game action.
“The first period was terrible, but it was a little bit of what I expected,” Appert said. “We have a really young forward group and NHL preseason games don’t simulate how hard the American League is. NHL preseason games are usually a little more controlled; American League is a little chaotic, it’s faster, it’s a little more physical a lot of nights.”
That’s why there is a distinct learning curve.
“I remember the first real game in Utica last year and how bad JJ Peterka was, and what a great learning moment that is,” Appert said, referring to the winger who earned a spot on the AHL’s All-Rookie Team and is now with the parent Buffalo Sabres.
“We had seven rookie forwards in the lineup so those are their first American League games. Utica had a good lineup, they played well, they played hard, they’re in your face and it was overwhelming in the first period. This is why you have an exhibition game.”
There is not, however, an on/off switch. The improvement will be gradual.
“As I’ve said a lot already, we’re going to have a lot of growing pains but failure and adversity leads to growth if you are willing to learn from it and apply it,” Appert said.
Ethan Prow scored the Amerks goal.
Subban injured
Malcolm Subban, who is expected to be the mainstay in goal, suffered a lower body injury 19 minutes into the second period.
Utica’s Nolan Stevens was skating backwards toward the goal crease when he inadvertently ran into Subban, then toppled over him.
Subban, who stopped 20 of 24 shots, put little to no weight on his right leg as he headed down the runway from the Amerks bench.
“We don’t think it’s dramatically serious, that was the initial report,” Appert said. “We don’t think it’s a long, long-term thing but you hate to see it, just because he’s had a little bit of bad luck on that front (injuries). He’s going to be a big piece of what we want to do here.”
While playing for the Sabres last season, Subban suffered a broken arm in January that ended his season.
Michael Houser finished Sunday’s game, stopping five of six shots.
Former McQuaid star returns home
Jack Dugan, who led McQuaid to the state hockey championship in 2015 and led the NCAA in scoring in 2019-20 for Providence, is now a member of the New Jersey Devils organization and is playing in Utica.
Dugan played the previous two years with Henderson of the AHL, the affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. He signed with the Devils as a free agent over the summer.
Roster cuts
Forward Conlan Keenan, who grew up in Webster, was among nine players released from training camp tryouts on Sunday morning. Keenan played in Saturday’s 4-2 preseason loss at Syracuse. The SUNYAC Player of the Year for Geneseo as a senior in 2019-20, he produced 13 goals, 20 assists and 33 points in 72 ECHL games for the Toledo Walleye last season.
Also released: Arwin Atwal, Matt Berry, Lincoln Griffin, Matt McLeod, Philip Lagunov, Patrick Polino, Jaylen Smereck and Emmett Sproule.
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