An 0-2 start to their western road swing wasn’t what the Moose Jaw Warriors had in mind after a 7-1 start through their first eight games before the trip.

The Warriors dropped a pair of 2-1 games this week, falling to the Kootenay Ice and Spokane Chiefs, and now they’ll look to get back on track with games in Everett and Seattle on tap this weekend.

Despite their struggles to start the seven-game road trip to the U.S. and Central Divisions, the Warriors aren’t hitting the panic button anytime soon.

“It’s pretty positive in the room right now, obviously these two games weren’t the way we wanted to come out, but there’s always positives in the game and you’ve got to try and take those out,” said rookie forward Tate Popple.  “The room is trying to stay as positive as it can and we’re feeling alright.”

Tuesday’s game in Cranbrook was the worst effort of the season so far for the Warriors, but they bounced back with a strong game the next night in Spokane, however they were unable to find the back of the net on their number of chances.

One consistent aspect of the Warriors’ game over the two losses has been the play of the team’s fourth line.  The trio of Popple, Jaxon Kaluski and Tyler Smithies have brought energy and a hard work ethic every time they get on the ice.

Popple said they try to help in any way they can.

“For us, we know we’re not going to go out there and score 50 goals in a season, so we’re just trying to bring everything we can every night and trying to finish our checks, get on the forecheck and do what we can to help the boys get going,” he said.

The 17-year-old forward has one assist in nine games this season.

With two games this weekend, the Warriors are playing through their first stretch of four games in five days.  Popple said he’s confident the team will push through any struggles they’ve had an come out on top in the end.

“We’re just sticking together, we’re using our buddies and just trying to stick together as much as we can to stay focused, stay positive and stay energized in any way that we can,” he said.

The Warriors’ road trip continues on Friday night when they travel to Everett for their only meeting of the year against the Silvertips.

Everett enters the game with a 4-7-1-0 record on the year with a 3-2 overtime loss to Tri-City in their last game on Wednesday.

Moose Jaw lost last year’s meeting with the Silvertips, falling 2-0 at Mosaic Place.  They haven’t scored in their past two meetings with Everett, losing 5-0 when they visited Xfinity Arena in 2015.

The two sides hit the ice at 8:35 p.m. Saskatchewan time.  The Pre-Game Show will be on the air at 8:10 p.m. on Country 100.

The Warriors will make the short trip to Kent, Washington on Saturday to square off with the Seattle Thunderbirds.  The Pre-Game Show is on the air at 7:40 p.m. that night.