The Toronto Marlies continue to roll on their five-game Boat Show road trip, staring down one of the toughest weekend of the season.

Facing divisional rivals in both Syracuse and Binghamton to start the trip, the Marlies will then drive the 332 km from central New York to the Atlantic coast in Bridgeport, CT. All told, the Marlies bus will put 820 kms on the odometer from Toronto to Bridgeport, with the team playing three games in just 48 hours.

The daunting task isn’t weighing on the Marlies, however, who will look to build off the momentum of their current six-game win streak.

“It’s definitely a tough weekend coming up, in terms of travel but there’s also really good teams that we’re playing, too,” said defenceman Justin Holl after practice on Wednesday. “We’re pretty confident if we play the right way and play the way we’re capable, we’re going to be on the winning side most nights.”

Facing a tough trip like this weekend’s, the time spent off the ice is also crucial. With limited time to rest and recharge, players need to use the spare time they do have to help recover and get set for the next night’s game.

“You have to take it game by game and really try to recover the best you can,” said Trevor Moore. “It’s tough when you have to play a game, then get on a bus for a few hours and get some sleep. So we just have to really take care of our bodies.”

“Definitely sleep is most important for everyone, especially when you’re traveling like that” Holl agreed. “It’s a really big deal and it’s really good for the body, obviously, and there’s not that much off-time on a weekend like this. Sleep, eat, get ready to play and battle through the weekend.”

One of the ways some players clear their mind and take a quick mental break is through video games. An important part of their luggage, a few players will bring their consoles on the road to take a quick opportunity to recharge. Recently, a friendly competition has broke out on the survival game Fortnite, a cartoony, massive 100-person battle royale that takes place on an isolated island.

“I think it’s really important [to take that time], but I don’t know how much people on the outside think it’s important,” Moore says with a chuckle. “Just to get away from it and let your mind rest for an hour or two, it’s good. We have fun.”

“We’ll probably bring them this weekend, but as I said I don’t know if there’s going to be a lot of time,” Holl said. “It’s been a lot of fun, a lot of the guys – myself, Mooresy, Sparksy, Marchment, Dermott, Brooks – we’ve been bringing our Xbox on the road and getting into Fortnite pretty good. It’s always fun to be able to bond like that.”

Plus, with the ongoing rivalry between the Marlies players, some of the lessons learned from on the ice are carried over into the virtual world. Players find different roles to excel, and adapt through streaks and slumps.

“I think I probably lead, if there’s a CORSI stat for Fortnite, I’d probably lead that,” jokes Moore. “But everyone’s got different attributes, for sure, some guys are good builders, other guys are good hiders. That’s just how it goes.”

“Well, if you look at the stats in Fortnite, I’m the best player,” Holl said with a smile. “However, I’m going through a really rough patch, but that happens. It ebbs and flows, sometimes you’re really good, sometimes you’re really bad. But I’m still working.”

With the focus turned squarely back to the ice, hard work will be the name of the game for the Marlies when they kick off the road trip tomorrow, ready to face a Syracuse Crunch time that has won nine of their past ten games.

“We’ve just got to be able to skate with them, and that’s been a focus for us,” says Moore, focused back on the task at hand. “Just make sure we’re able to skate with them and not let them get to our net.”

All three games will be broadcast on AHL Live or fans can tune in online through our Marlies Radio player. The action kicks off Friday night at 7:00 on Syracuse, followed by Saturday’s tilt against Binghamton at 7:05 and finally ending on Sunday in Bridgeport at 5:00.