It has been five long months since the Moose Jaw Warriors have played hockey and the team is ready to get the 2012-13 season going.
“For us, the pre-season started with a good rookie game against Swift Current,” said Mike Stothers, head coach of the Warriors.
After losing 4-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Apr. 27, the Warriors were faced with many questions about their roster as players graduated and some moved on to higher levels of hockey. Despite the changes on the roster, the Warriors feel ready to make another run at the Ed Chynoweth Cup next spring.
“It has been awhile since we played, so we are looking forward to getting back at it,” he said.
With 20 players on the roster that saw ice last season, the Warriors feel prepared and ready to start another season. The team will play Swift Current tonight in Maple Creek in their first exhibition game. During the next five pre-season games, the Warriors coaching staff is hoping things will fall into place.
“We’ve got five games here to sort some things out and we are looking forward to it,” said Stothers. “You can only practice for so long before you get really anxious and eager to get some games under your belt. From a coaching standpoint, we pretty much know what we are going to get from the veteran guys.”
Stothers and his staff are looking forward to seeing the players get on the ice and into game action where they can evaluate them and see what roles they will be placed in.
“It is a good chance for us to see what some of the younger guys and where we think they are going to fit in and what kind of roles they are going to land in. It is good for everybody…for the returning guys to get their feet wet and the young guys to showcase what their best abilities are,” he explained.
For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
