The Moose Jaw Warriors have been welcomed back from the Christmas break with a schedule that sees them play five games in eight nights, including three on the road.

The Tribe opened the busy stretch on Sunday in Swift Current with a 4-0 shutout win over the Broncos, giving Moose Jaw back-to-back wins. Now the next test is on the way for the Warriors as they prepare to head to Brandon on Tuesday night to take on the East Division-leading Wheat Kings.

Coming off their win in Swift Current, the Warriors know how big a win in Brandon would be for the team.

“It would be nice to string some wins together, it's been a while since we have,” said forward Dryden Hunt. “We know Brandon is a great team, it's always tough going to Brandon and playing in that rink, so it would be huge for us to go in there and get two points.”

The Warriors are 0-2 against the Wheat Kings so far this season, falling twice at Mosaic Place, including a 6-5 loss on Dec. 9. Both losses for the Warriors have been by one goal each time, so finding a way to get over the hump would be huge.

Moose Jaw also trails Brandon by just six points for top spot in the division, making the two points even more important.

“These are big points and ultimately we've got to take care of it ourselves because these are points that matter when it comes down the stretch,” said goalie Zach Sawchenko, who turned away 35 shots for his first shutout of the season on Sunday.

Brandon is coming off a 6-3 win over the Regina Pats on Sunday, which improved them to 10-6-1-2 on home ice this season. The Warriors' win in Swift Current pushed their road record to 8-6-3-0.

Both teams will be a bit a shorthanded going into the game with players away at the World Junior Hockey Championship. The Warriors are without Brayden Point (Canada) and Jiri Smejkal (Czech Republic), while Brandon is missing John Quenneville (Canada) and Ivan Provorov (Russia).

Moose Jaw will also be without centre Brett Howden for the fourth straight game. Head coach Tim Hunter said they expect the 17-year-old to be ready to go for the weekend or early next week.

Howden left Dec. 16 game against the Kelowna Rockets with a shoulder injury, leaving Moose Jaw down their top-three centres.

The Warriors have received some solid contributions from their depth players over their past three games. Six different players have scored the Warriors' past eight goals with Tanner Jeannot and Ryan Bowen each picking up a pair of markers.

Sawchenko and Brody Willms have also been stellar in all three games, making at least 32 saves as the Warriors have gone 2-1-0-0.

Sawchenko was especially good early during Sunday's shutout as the Warriors were peppered with shots. Hunt said they wouldn't have been in the game if it weren't for Sawchenko early.

“Our starts haven't been great all year and him and Willms have been great,” said Hunt. “It's nice to have a goalie back there to keep you in it when us forwards and defence aren't doing our jobs.”

The Warriors and Wheat Kings will hit the ice at 7:00pm on Tuesday night in Brandon. You can catch all the action with Western Nissan Warriors Hockey on Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:40pm.