Following the Blades' 36th game of the season, a lopsided 7-2 victory over the Yukon Rush, bruising Russian winger Valentin Taneyev had something to celebrate. With an assist on a powerplay goal in first period by Franklin Romanowski and a goal late in the second, Taneyev managed his second 50 point VHLM season. While there are multiple players with 100 points at this point already, Taneyev is more than modestly happy with his campaign thus far in S42.
"It comes down to winning in the end and we're winning a lot of game, are having a successful season, and I think I'm doing everything I can to help the team win," Taneyev commented following the win.
"50 points (20G, 30A) isn't huge but it's solid and I feel like the scoring aspect is only a byproduct of Valentin's game. This level of production puts him on pace for his best offensive season to date. Valentin leads the league in hits, sits second in PIM's after 36 games, and has done a formidable job in looking after the Blades' star players," commented Taneyev's agent Tyler Vassell.
Looking toward the second half of the season, the Blades have accrued a formidable 30-5-1 record and have displayed streaks of dominance multiple times; including a 13-game winning streak. In order to achieve their goal of winning the Founder's Cup, the Blades need to find an answer for the Demko-led Oslo Storm who have had their number all season and sit comfortably perched atop the league standings.
"We're going to have to rally but we're starting to get back on a roll now. We're riding a 7-game winning streak right now and everything seems to be clicking. I see no reason why things shouldn't remain copacetic heading into the stretch," explains Blades' coach Raul Thundercat.