The first half didn't go how the Moose Jaw Generals had hoped, but the team is returning to the ice this weekend with confidence that they can fight back.

"They're all fresh and ready to go, smiles on their faces when they came back into the dressing room today," said Generals head coach Ray Wareham earlier this week.

"It was the first half that we wanted to have, but we did play some good hockey and some bounces didn't go our way and then we played some bad hockey. A fresh start here in the second half we're still not out of it, we've got to string together some games and hopefully, we can get it going this weekend."

The Generals return to the ice on Saturday when they make the trip north to Prince Albert to face the Mintos. Moose Jaw will then take on the Beardy's Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.

The two games serve as a good test for the Generals to open the second half as they look to push their way back into the playoff picture.

Moose Jaw currently sits in tenth place in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, nine points behind the Blackhawks for the final playoff spot.

Wareham said there are things that they can take from the first half to build off going into the second half.

"We used our speed and we managed the puck pretty well when we played well and then we got goaltending. Then when we didn't play well, you would get one thing but not the other thing," he said.

"The kids have been in good spirits, they come to the rink willing to work and learn, it's just unfortunate for some reason, I haven't been able to figure out, we haven't been able to translate what we do on the ice in practice into games."

Wareham added that the team has tried to change up how they practice and prepare for games, but nothing has clicked yet.

"We've tried everything, I've talked to some sports psychologists and gotten some ideas from them, we've tried those ideas. It's been different for us as coaches too, so we've been trying to push the right buttons and see what works. The kids have been fantastic, they continue to work and they're better players now."

Despite their struggles over the first half, the Generals feel that if they can string together a few wins over the next few games, they can get back into the playoff race.

"We can't have too many mistakes, we're [nine] points back, which is doable, a lot of people might laugh at me when I say that because of our first half, but we've got the type of team that could string together five or six the other way, so we'll see what happens, we’re going to push."

The Generals hit the ice in Prince Albert on Saturday and then have a big matchup against the Blackhawks on Sunday. Puck drops at 1:30 p.m. for both games.