Grappling with a handful of key injuries, the West Âé¶čAV Warriors will open 2018 with five consecutive games on the road.
Rylan Fersterâs club will play three games in three nights this weekend on Vancouver IslandâFriday in Victoria, Saturday in Nanaimo and Sunday at Alberni Valley.
âItâll be a challenge, with the injuries weâre battling, but we canât use that as an excuse,â said Warriorsâ captain Jared Marino. âThree in three on the island, itâs a big weekend for us. We need to come together as a team and bring some wins back from there.â
The Warriors, missing five forwards from the lineup, closed out 2017 with a pair of losses to the division rival Smoke Eaters, and
Matt Kowalski and Chase Stevenson will remain sidelined for this weekendâs trip, while three other players are on day-to-day recovery.
âWhoever weâre missing, we have to find a way to play through it,â said Marino of the Warriors who are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. âWe havenât been playing terrible, just not up to the standard weâd like. We have enough good players in the room that we can still compete. Guys have to step up.â
The following weekend, Jan. 12 and 13, the Warriors (18-17-1-1) will be in Wenatchee for back-to-back games against the division rival Wild.
The Warriors next home action is Wednesday, Jan. 16 against the Vernon Vipers.
To report a typo, email: edit@kelownacapnews.com.
<>
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .
