The 80’s rock was blaring and the players were having fun. The Moose Jaw Warriors looked like a team that’s enjoying their success on Wednesday afternoon at Mosaic Place.

The first place Warriors are coming off a busy week that saw them pick up three wins in four games over five nights last week. With a couple more big divisional games on the horizon this weekend, the Warriors are focused on keeping the mood light around the team.

“You can whistle while you work and our guys have been a great group from start to finish so far this year, we challenged them early, we wanted to do things different and they responded and that’s why we won so many games,” said Warriors head coach Tim Hunter.

“We changed things up, we wanted to relax the mode a little bit. It will be a big game on Friday in Regina, both teams have a lot of new faces and it will be a test going forward on what the Warriors look like and what Regina looks like. We still got lots of work done, the right kind of work and the right message, but just in a lighter atmosphere.”

The lighter mood seemed to be a hit with the players. With 46 games of the regular season in the books, they remained focused, but were having fun doing it.

“We’ve got a good feeling in the room right now,” said 20-year-old forward Tanner Jeannot. “The guys know what we’ve got to do everyday, we’ve got to come out and work hard, so even if there’s music playing and stuff, you can have a good time, but everyone knows that you still have to put that work in and that’s what we did.”

The season can be a grind and days like Wednesday are key for the Warriors as they look to continue building towards the playoffs.

“I love that energy out there when everyone is laughing, having fun, making sure we get the job done, but having fun with it out there,” said forward Tristyn DeRoose.

DeRoose is one of the players tasked with keeping the mood light around the team. The 19-year-old enforcer was able to solidify his spot in the lineup with some strong games during the team’s post-Christmas schedule, but what he brings to the team in other areas might be just as important.

“He’s a goofy guy and he keeps the mood light out there, so its just one piece of the puzzle and everyone has a place and a job and everyone fits together nice, so it’s a really tight group,” said Jeannot.

DeRoose added that he knows his role on the team, “I knew coming to the team that the fourth line would be my job and I love every chance I get,” he said.

“It’s not about (fighting), just developing my game and playing the Warrior way, which is why we’ve been successful. The results are showing and I’m happy with everything that’s going on right now.”

At last week’s WHL Trade Deadline, the Warriors focused on keeping the team’s chemistry in tact after tweaking the roster with five trades over the course of the season. The team pulled off one big deadline deal to add defenceman Kale Clague to the group.

The Warriors then rolled to an 8-3 win over Calgary on Deadline Day and followed that up with an 8-2 win over Edmonton on Friday.  Saturday saw Moose Jaw’s eight-game winning streak come to an end with a 4-3 loss in Prince Albert, but they were able to bounce back the next night with a hard fought 5-4 overtime win against Medicine Hat.

Hunter feels that the Warriors have built a locker room where everyone wants to play for each other.

“We wanted to created a more close team, a real unified group that cared about each other, you have to care that if you let the guy beside you down he’s going to be disappointed and that’s the group we built,” said Hunter. “I was just talking to Ryan Peckford, he’s really impressed with how well the guys get along and how close they are, but that’s the product of four years of work by the coaches and Alan Millar.”

Jeannot said the tight knit group that the Warriors have will serve them well down the stretch.

“A big focus for our team this year has been playing for your teammates and that’s really helped in the dressing room, everyone has each others back and it’s really good,” he said. “You don’t go far in the playoffs if you’re not close as a team.”

The Warriors will face-off with the revamped Regina Pats coming up on Friday night at the Brandt Centre.