Brayden Point has 18 goals and 40 points in 43 games this season for the Warriors.

It's going to take an extraordinary second half of the season for the tenth place Moose Jaw Warriors to move into a playoff spot, but they can make life easier on themselves by beating the teams in front of them.

The tribe currently sit 12 points out of a playoff spot with 29 games to go.  It's not an insurmountable deficit, but the team knows they can't give away points to the teams that they're chasing.

That makes Friday's meeting with the ninth place Red Deer Rebels that much more important for the Warriors.

“That's how we're approaching things, just chasing the team in front of us,” said forward Brayden Point, who has nine goals in his last 12 games.  “Another win over the Rebels would be huge for us.”

The Warriors beat the Rebels 4-3 last Sunday in Red Deer, so this game serves as a bit of an extended home-and-home for the tribe.  The Rebels are currently riding a three-game losing streak after losses to Brandon and Red Deer already this week.

“We played a good game against the Rebels and got the win,” said Point on their win, which wrapped up a weekend road trip to Alberta.  “Even in the Edmonton game, we started coming back and we showed signs of improvement, which was good to see and we're just focused on the Rebels right now.”

Friday's meeting with the Rebels is one of just two home games this month for the tribe, and their last one until January 31st as they head out on the US Division road trip next week.  Point said they want to use this game to build some momentum before heading south.

“It's important and just a big game for us because two points going into that road trip would give us some confidence,” said Point.

The 17-year-old forward also recognizes the need to put on a good show for the Warriors faithful, who haven't seen their share of victories so far this season at Mosaic Place with a 6-11-3-2 home record.

“That's actually really important for us and something that I feel is really important,” said Point.  “There was that one patch where it was a long time before we won a home game, but as we're starting to win a little bit more, the fans starting to fill up a bit and it's obviously important for us to have a good performance at home because they are our home fans and they do pay money to come watch us play.”

For Point, Friday is also another chance to go head-to-head with a 2014 NHL Draft prospect in Conner Bleackley, who leads the Rebels in scoring with 20 goals and 50 points in 42 games.

“Conner's a great guy, he's a great player and he's having a great year,” said Point.  “He's a good buddy of mine and I do like having someone that I can compete against and that's someone that's great to go against.”

The Warriors and Rebels will hit the ice at Mosaic Place on Friday night at 7:00pm.  You can catch all the action live on Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:40pm.

It's going to take an extraordinary second half of the season for the tenth place Moose Jaw Warriors to move into a playoff spot, but they can make life easier on themselves by beating the teams in front of them.

 

The tribe currently sit 12 points out of a playoff spot with 29 games to go. It's not an insurmountable deficit, but the team knows they can't give away points to the teams that they're chasing.

 

That makes Friday's meeting with the ninth place Red Deer Rebels that much more important for the Warriors.

 

That's how we're approaching things, just chasing the team in front of us,” said forward Brayden Point, who has nine goals in his last 12 games. “Another win over the Rebels would be huge for us.”

 

The Warriors beat the Rebels 4-3 last Sunday in Red Deer, so this game serves as a bit of an extended home-and-home for the tribe. The Rebels are currently riding a three-game losing streak after losses to Brandon and Red Deer already this week.

 

We played a good game against the Rebels and got the win,” said Point on their win, which wrapped up a weekend road trip to Alberta. “Even in the Edmonton game, we started coming back and we showed signs of improvement, which was good to see and we're just focused on the Rebels right now.”

 

Friday's meeting with the Rebels is one of just two home games this month for the tribe, and their last one until January 31st as they head out on the US Division road trip next week. Point said they want to use this game to build some momentum before heading south.

 

It's important and just a big game for us because two points going into that road trip would give us some confidence,” said Point.

 

The 17-year-old forward also recognizes the need to put on a good show for the Warriors faithful, who haven't seen their share of victories so far this season at Mosaic Place with a 6-11-3-2 home record.

 

That's actually really important for us and something that I feel is really important,” said Point. “There was that one patch where it was a long time before we won a home game, but as we're starting to win a little bit more, the fans starting to fill up a bit and it's obviously important for us to have a good performance at home because they are our home fans and they do pay money to come watch us play.”

 

For Point, Friday is also another chance to go head-to-head with a 2014 NHL Draft prospect in Conner Bleackley, who leads the Rebels in scoring with 20 goals and 50 points in 42 games.

 

Conner's a great guy, he's a great player and he's having a great year,” said Point. “He's a good buddy of mine and I do like having someone that I can compete against and that's someone that's great to go against.”

 

The Warriors and Rebels will hit the ice at Mosaic Place on Friday night at 7:00pm. You can catch all the action live on Country 100, starting with the Pre-Game Show at 6:40pm.