With 12 games to go in the regular season, the Regina Pats jumped on the bus for a long western swing through the states of Oregon and Washington.  That trip opens tomorrow night.

The Pats are just short of the cut line for the playoffs, so this long road trip has even more added incentive for the club.

The Pats will be depending on the star players to be the star players on this trip.  Players like Tanner Howe, who leads the team in scoring with 25 goals and 69 points so far this season.

Others will need to chip in too during this gruelling road trip.

The Pats will open this odyssey in Spokane tomorrow night, we have pregame coverage on 620 CKRM starting at 8:35pm. Face off is at 9:05pm.

After that for Regina, its off to Kennewick, Washington Saturday night for a game with Tri-City.

The roadzie continues in Seattle, Wenatchee, Portland and Everett.  Even after this road trip is over, the Pats will play in Moose Jaw March 8th, before returning to the Brandt Centre March 15th for a date with the PA Raiders.

By that time, with just a handful of games left before the end of the season, the Pats are hoping to be on the in the thick of the playoff race, instead of being on the outside looking in.