Warriors forward Tanner Eberle celebrates one of his nine goals this season.

Ten days and six games is what's in store for the Moose Jaw Warriors over the next week and a half.

The Warriors will load up the bus on Wednesday and ride it for 23 hours right to Portland where the team will open the road trip against the division-leading Winterhawks on Friday.

The focus for the team has been preparing for that road trip, whether it be on the ice or mentally as well.

“This is definitely the biggest trip of the year and it's really fun living in the hotels for a week,” said Tanner Eberle, a veteran forward with the Warriors.  “However we know it's going to be a tough one, so we've got to be ready for it.”

With the Warriors still being a very young team, this will be the first time that the majority of the roster experiences the US Division road trip and playing games in those arenas, making the veterans, like Eberle, that much more important over the next week.

“The leaders are relied on quite a bit,” said Eberle.  “There aren't many guys on this States road trip, so I'm sure the guys will be relying on us, asking us a lot of questions about it, but it comes down to everyone just needs to be doing their part.”

The bonus for the Warriors is when they hit the ice for the opening game of the trip in Portland, they'll have been off for a week and been able to put in the work to prepare for the trip.  The tribe lost 4-3 to the Red Deer Rebels last Friday.

“It's been good to be able to get our legs back and we've had a good couple pushes here the last couple practices, so that's good and we're looking forward to it,” said Eberle.

“We've been working on a lot of battle drills, so I think (Mike Stothes, Warriors head coach) knows that it's going to be a tough road trip.  We're just trying to get our feet under us from the little break we've had here and come out strong.”

The road trip can be gruelling on the players, but Eberle said it can also be a fun time and a chance for the team to grow together.

“It's a pretty long road trip, but you can have some fun on it that's for sure,” he said.  “After about the thirteenth hour, everyone starts to get a little weird on the bus and that's when the funny stuff goes down.

“Anytime we can bond it's good, but this is definitely the biggest road trip of the season so far because we know we need some points to get back in the playoff picture.”

The Warriors practice here in Moose Jaw on Wednesday afternoon and then hit the road later that night for Portland.  The trip opens against the Winterhawks on Friday and then the tribe heads up to Everett for a Saturday meeting with the Silvertips.