Tanski perseveres for timely score
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Scott Tanski had enough scoring chances against the Oshawa Generals on Thursday night that he figured he’d eventually convert one of them. He was right.
Right winger Tanski scored the second of three third-period goals as the Brampton Battalion extended its Ontario Hockey League winning streak to eight games with a 3-0 road victory.
Before Tanski scored, however, he was foiled by Oshawa goaltender Michael Zador on a close-in chance off a Josh Day setup in the first period and denied on a breakaway after stealing the puck in the second.
“I probably could have had at least three goals,” Tanski said Friday as the Battalion prepped to visit the Peterborough Petes at 7 p.m. Saturday. “I had a lot of chances and I couldn’t be too upset about not scoring. I felt really good in warmup, and I had the idea it might be a good game.”
Tanski shoveled the rebound of Kyle Pereira’s shot from the blue line over a prone Zador at 4:07 of the final period, less than two minutes after Anthony Peluso opened the scoring. Cody Hodgson added an empty-netter, the 91st goal of his career, tying Jay McClement for fifth place on the club’s all-time list.
“That goal was all about going to the net,” Tanski said of his 13th goal of the season. “Pereira got the shot through, and I had to be there to get the rebound.”
The goal broke an 11-game scoring drought for Tanski, who has 20 assists for 33 points in 48 games.
“I talked to some of the guys about it, and they were telling me that everybody goes through those stretches. Eventually, I knew, the goals would start to go in. We were winning, and that’s what really matters, but it feels really good to contribute.”
Tanski skated with centre Matt Duchene and left winger Evgeny Grachev, linemates with whom he’d played much of the season before trades saw the arrival of right wingers Andrew Merrett and Peluso. Tanski has also played in recent games with Peluso, centre Thomas Stajan and left winger Stephon Thorne.
“The coaches want to see which guys work best together. We have some new guys here filling roles, but it doesn’t matter whether I’m with Duchene and Grachev or Stajan and someone else. I have to keep playing the same game. I need to work hard, get down low and get the puck to them.
“My role has changed a bit, but I’m still trying to play the body and get the pucks deep. I need to be a reliable guy who doesn’t turn the puck over.”
Tanski, 18 and in his second OHL season, said he tries to tailor his game to his linemates.
“They’re all different players. They’re skilled guys, and if I’m out with Duchene and Grachev the first option is to try to make a play, but if I’m out there with Stajan’s line we need to be more of an energy line and get pucks deep. I think I can fill both of those roles. I played some left wing for a while and I know I can do that too.”
The winning streak is the third-longest in club history, behind a 16-game run this season and a 14-game streak that ended the 2005-06 schedule.
“During that stretch we seemed to be having so much fun and we were doing all the little things,” Tanski said of the record run Oct. 13 to Nov. 23.
“This streak doesn’t seem that long when you compare it to the other one, but this is an important time. We had a tough ride after we won those 16 games, and it’s nice to see we’re back on track here. We need to be ready to go every night because, if we’re not, teams will jump on us.”
Fans in the Brampton area can see the Peterborough game live on Rogers Cable 10.
