Warriors Set for Stretch Run After Bye Week Reset
NLL Vancouver Warriors

Warriors Set for Stretch Run After Bye Week Reset

Published on April 1, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


It's back to the grind for the Vancouver Warriors as they return from their bye week with three regular-season games remaining.

The team played 12 games in 11 weeks from the beginning of January to the end of March, posting a 9-3 record during that stretch, and played three games in eight days in the middle of an arduous schedule.

While the players are still in their training routine and preparing for their next opponent, it's a reset to get some extra rest, take care of bumps and bruises, and spend time with family and friends before the final push of the season.

The coaching staff doesn't break stride during a bye week, as Head Coach and GM Curt Malawsky and his staff keep the same routine, preparing and watching film as they would during a game week.

"From a coaching perspective, we're still scouting games and preparing for Buffalo, and that's what we've been doing the last couple weeks. So, it's just preparation as usual, but we're not traveling, and you're able to do a lot of the work at home and just be ready for the next game," Malawsky said.

"I think it's just more of a reset for the players, but for the coaches and other staff it's business as usual."

Going into the home stretch mentally and physically ready is important, as the magnitude of the games gets bigger and more physical. Although not all the players like having a bye week down the stretch, they see the value in it as most players are dealing with a nagging issue at this point in the season.

In The Warriors Podcast: "Bye Week, Team Chemistry & Midseason Mindset", hosts Tino Fera, Marcus Klarich, and Owen Grant discussed the pros and cons of a bye week reset. The decision was unanimous from 23-year-old Klarich and 25-year-old Grant that they'd prefer to stay in a game-week routine and continue to build momentum.

"I'd love to keep going, but when you take a step back and look at the big picture, obviously a week off will be nice. Take some time to rest a little bit and take some time to prepare for the gauntlet that's in front of us still," Grant said.

"It's basically two weeks, it's too long. I speak for Owen too when I say we'd rather just see the guys every weekend than take the two weeks off," Klarich said.

"As much as we want to keep going, in hindsight it's probably good for this little bye week here."

After a three-month run of games where most of the players rinsed and repeated a routine of work, workouts, sleep, travel, and games on the weekends, there isn't time to fit anything else into the schedule.

Nine-year NLL veteran Jesse King said the break is a great reset that can tide players over until the end of the season. King spent time with his wife, family, and friends over the weekend, and took a spin class.

"We have a lot of dads on the team and a lot of people with families, so the ability to have that weekend off and spend time with family and just relax, I think mentally is extremely important," King said.

King said that on the flip side - to OG and Klarich's point - sometimes a bye week can break some of the momentum they had. The solution is to focus on what's in front of them and work towards attaining goals they've set for themselves, the next goal being to secure home-floor advantage for the playoffs.

As they've treated most of their games like playoff games, there's no switch that needs to be flipped for the last few games of the regular season.

"It's obviously super important that we go into this weekend extremely mentally and physically prepared," King said. "I think we'll be in a better place and use what we've built over the last four months to carry us into playoffs and have us playing at the highest level when we're getting to the most competitive part of the season."

The players hold themselves and each other to a high standard, and King never questions if his teammates are putting in the work. They stick to their training, physiotherapy, chiropractic, and whatever else they need to do to prepare, and if anyone ever questioned getting shots or a workout in, the group chat is there to keep the spark alive.

"With this group, there's so much trust and so much belief in each other, and I just know that guys are doing what they need to do to get to be ready, and that's the culture that Mouse creates," King said.

"Guys talk about current events or sports, or whatever it may be in that group chat, and I think there's always a line of communication open with most of the guys on the team. So, as accountability goes, I think that's a key point as well. We've been in contact, I've talked to lots of guys, and we're looking forward to getting back together."

While the Warriors could potentially have eight straight weeks of games, Malawsky coaches his players to keep the same mindset and preparation no matter what kind of game they're in.

"It all falls back to the fact that you just play where your feet are, play the game in front of you, and not worry about whatever teams are doing outside of your opponent that you're playing that week," Malawsky said.

"We just have to really focus on what we need to do to make us successful and try not to change based on the situation and that's not the easiest thing to do, but that'll be our focus and our message for sure."

As the Warriors come back this week refreshed and ready for the last mile, it's business as usual one stride at a time.

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