Mersch’s 400th career points leads Amerks past Providence in overtime

Courtesy of Amerks.com

Providence, RI – In dramatic fashion, Michael Mersch found the back of the net 46 seconds into overtime to cap off another Rochester rally, as the Amerks erased a third-period deficit before going on to top the Providence Bruins by a 3-2 final Saturday night at Amica Mutual Pavilion.

With the win, Rochester remains in third place in the AHL’s North Division standings with 79 points, showing a 35-22-6-3 record. The Amerks also extend their winning streak to a season-long five straight games, and most importantly, put themselves in position to clinch a playoff berth as soon as Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport. Providence also remains in second in the Atlantic Division, where they have already secured a playoff spot.

Eight Amerks found the scoresheet on the night, with Mersch (1+1) being the lone player to register multiple points. Linus Weissbach got the scoring started for the Amerks, while Anton Wahlberg netted his first AHL goal midway through the third period to force overtime. Calle Själin, Justin Richards, Isak Rosen, and Nikita Novikov all logged assists.

Devon Levi picked up his 13^th win in a Rochester jersey with a 33-save performance. The Sabres’ prospect was tested immediately in the game, making multiple high-quality stops. Levi has also won six straight and seven of his last eight AHL starts while keeping the opposition to three or fewer goals in all but three of his 21 appearances this season.

After thwarting numerous chances by Providence early on, Levi eventually gave way to Bruins defenseman Ian Mitchell, who scored a power-play goal with 12.2 seconds left in the first period, guiding the Bruins to a 1-0 lead through 20 minutes.

Weissbach got Rochester on the board 10:55 into the second, scoring his 16^th goal of the season. The third-year Amerk crashed the net, capitalizing on a rebound surrendered by goaltender Michael DiPietro on a point shot from Själin. Weissbach was at the net front to pounce, extending his goal streak to four games and giving the Swedish forward six goals over his last six games.

Jayson Megna put Providence ahead 2-1 less than three minutes later to yet again give the Bruins a lead at intermission. Despite that, the Amerks pushed to tie things a second time 9:56 into the third.

After Biro dumped the puck into the zone, Richards and Wahlberg quickly converged onto the goal for an odd-man sequence. Rosen drifted the puck across the crease to an extended Wahlberg, who shuffled the puck through, scoring his first as an Amerk in the 18-year-old’s third AHL game.

Late in regulation, Weissbach was flagged down for interference, but during the Amerks penalty kill, Mason Jobst gathered the puck for a partial breakaway that was impeded by Mitchell, who held Jobst and drew a penalty. Following Weissbach’s minor expiring, the Amerks obtained a power-play that carried into overtime. Just 46 seconds past regulation, Rosen possessed the puck atop the zone, finding Mersch at the net front. The Amerks captain went to his knees and used his reach to guide the puck by the right leg of DiPietro, sliding it through for his 13^th goal of the season and 400^th point of the 10-year pro’s career. Mersch has 187 goals and 213 helpers across his 609 professional games, including 17 NHL outings.

Dating back to the 2007-08 season, there have been 11 one-goal games between Providence and Rochester.

With the win, the Amerks can now clinch playoffs for a third straight season as soon as Sunday afternoon. The Amerks need a win against the Bridgeport Islanders and for the Utica Comets to lose in any fashion against Toronto.

The Amerks make their lone visit to Total Mortgage Arena on Sunday, April 7 for a matinee matchup against Bridgeport. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. This will mark the first time the Amerks face the Islanders since opening night back on Oct. 13 when the Islanders took a 4-3 final in overtime.