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Kelowna, B.C. – The Moose Jaw Warriors have loaded up the bus and hit the road for five games in 11 days through the BC Division, which will start on Friday night against the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place.
The Warriors have struggled heading into the road trip, going winless in their last five games, but forward Owen Berge said the team is focused on getting back on track during the trip.
“It’s a little frustrating going down five straight, but we’ve just got to bounce back and take every game shift-by-shift and not really focus too much on the bigger picture of winning the game, but winning the little battles within the game and that will lead to the result that we want,” he said.
After dropping a 4-1 game to Seattle on Tuesday, the Warriors hope that the bonding on the road will translate to success on the ice.
“It’s the nice to get away from the pressure a little bit and just have some fun around the guys,” Berge said.
Heading into the road trip, the Warriors have been battling injuries up front with Brayden Schuurman out month-to-month with a lower body injury, while Ethan Semeniuk and Rilen Kovacevic are day-to-day with upper body injuries.
With some key veteran forwards out of the lineup, that means other players have had to step into a bigger role.
Berge said he’s been trying to take on more responsibility to help the team.
“I’ve just got to be a hard-working player for the team, show some of my skill,” he said. “But also, just lead by example and competing and working hard and if I can do it, show the other guys that they can do it and hopefully it kind of compacts throughout the team.”
Berge has four goals and five points through 12 games this season, matching his point total from 49 games last season.
“This is a time, especially with the bodies being down a little bit, this is a time where I can show my role for sure and implement the game I want to play this year,” Berge said.
For many of the Warriors, this will be their first opportunity to hit the ice in the B.C. Division and for the team’s five rookies, it will be their first lengthy road trip with the team.
“It will be a cool experience,” Berge said.
The Warriors and Rockets meet at 8 p.m. Saskatchewan time on Friday night at Prospera Place. Tune into all the action on CHL TV and Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 7:40 p.m.