By Chris Cariou

THE Manitoba Moose have two American Hockey League schedules, not just one.

It's kind of like Beauty and the Beast, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, depending on how you look at it; there's the home campaign, with all the rest and practice and relaxation and success that it has been bringing, particularly of late, akin to a U.S. college campaign or a European season -- lots of practice and games on weekends.

But head out on the road and then there's the three-games-in-three-nights (or four-in-five) torture test.

It is what it is, head coach Scott Arniel and players said Monday as they prepared for this week's sojourn into Texas and four games in six days against the Houston Aeros and San Antonio Rampage.

The Moose, despite loads of injuries to front-line players and call-ups to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks, are second in their division with a 21-12-2-1 record and on a four-game win streak.

"That's part of being a Moose, I think, being in Manitoba, being an outpost," Arniel said after practice Monday. "It's funny... every year, we say 'this has got to be the worst schedule ever', and then another year goes by and you're repeating those same words."

But Arniel said that with a younger team this season, he actually likes the tough going schedule-wise. The young players, he says, tend to drift when they're not playing in games. But when push comes to shove -- as in a three-games-in-three-nights scenario -- the team seems to play better.

"This year, I don't like the way when we take the whole week off... it seems like we take a long time to get going again."

Veteran forward Brad Moran, who has played the comparatively soft schedule European teams enjoy, concurred.

"I think it's tougher to play Friday-Saturday and take a week off and play Friday-Saturday," he said. "We just deal with it."

In Europe, as in the U.S. college system, the schedule's only 40 or 50 games, about half the AHL or NHL schedule. And teams don't travel nearly as far in Europe or within the U.S. college conference system as AHL teams do, especially teams as isolated as the Moose.

Manitoba defenceman Danny Groulx is another player who's spent time playing in Europe. He mostly played Fridays and Sundays and sometimes Tuesdays. With the Moose, he's been playing a lot of Friday-Saturday games and practising Monday through Thursday.

"Some guys like it," he said. "I didn't really like it because it makes for a lot of practices and I'd rather play. Right now I'm not complaining when we play a lot but for sure, sometimes it gets hard when you play like we did during Christmas time, five games in six nights all over the map.

"That's something I'd maybe skip."

Home sweet home, or grind on road?

The Moose record to date (outright wins/losses only):

* Homestand 1 (4 games in 15 days): 2-1

* Road trip 1 (3-in-3): 2-1-0

* Homestand 2 (2-in-7): 1-1

* Road trip 2 (3-in-4): 2-1

* Homestand 3 (4-in-14): 3-1

* Road trip 3 (4-in-8): 2-1

* Road trip 4 (3-in-5): 2-1

* Homestand 4 (4 in 14): 2-2

* Road trip 5 (3-in-3): 1-2

* Homestand 5 (4-in-6): 4-0

* Home overall -- 12-5 record over 56 days at home (game every 3.11 days)

* Road overall -- 9-6 record over 23 days on road (game every 1.44 days)

* Record overall -- 21-12