Conditioning of the Cowichan Valley Capitals is one factor. Keeping the game simple is another.

Now that new coach Dale Purinton’s had a week to digest more about the players on the B.C. Hockey League team, he’s ready to plunge into making the necessary corrections.

The team won its first two games under Purinton, but Friday and Sunday games were a bit of a reality check, as the Caps lost 5-0 to the Penticton Vees and 5-2 to the Westside Warriors.

The Caps were simply no match for the strong Vees who’ve been sticking it to everybody else in the BCHL and are the only team to have beaten Vernon. The Westside game was another matter, with two tired teams slugging it out until the end and the Caps know they let the Warriors off the hook too easily.

Many Caps’ players came off the ice looking completely exhausted in the Westside game.

“That’s obviously a big concern,’’ said Purinton. “That’s not an overnight fix.’’

And it’s just one part of the game that can’t be addressed on its own.

“You’ve got to work on so many systems,’’ Purinton said. “You can’t just skate.

“It’s a lot of off-ice commitment as well as on-ice.’’

Simplifying their play will also do the Caps in good stead, Purinton believes.

“The simplest things are like keep your feet moving, get the puck in deep, screening the goalie, finishing their checks,’’ stressed Purinton.

“If I’m a goalie and I don’t have traffic in front, it makes my job easier.’’

Players are going to keep hearing about those things until the coach is blue in the face, but repetition will be the only way to progress.

Taylor Paziuk found his way to the edge of the crease to irritate Westside goalie Kevin Jebson a few times. Otherwise, Jebson saw the puck well and made key saves that prevented the Caps from mounting a comeback while enjoying a string of power play chances in the third period.

The game was basically 3-2 in the late stages when the Caps gambled at the point and Warriors’ forward Trevor Bailey stole the puck and scored on a shorthanded breakaway with 2:07 left to wrap it up.

Bailey scored again into an empty net with 16 seconds remaining to make a close game seem a bit more lopsided.

“Why wasn’t it 3-2 for us?’’ pondered Purinton. “I don’t think we did enough to get the job done.

“Games are won and lost away from the puck and in your own end. It’s simplifying the system and getting them to buy back in, too.’’

The hard part for the Caps is they would have finished the weekend feeling a lot better if they’d beaten Westside. The Warriors were lambasted 8-1 the previous night in Port Alberni and came into Cowichan as a somewhat fragile team on the last game of its island road trip.

But the Caps couldn’t take advantage.

“We showed some good signs, but that was a very winnable game,’’ said Purinton.

“We need to get better and in a hurry.’’

The Caps’ depth is being tested from the long-term absences of defenceman Rajan Sidhu and forward Ryan Green. Both are expected to be sidelined for at least another month.

The Victoria Grizzlies visit Cowichan Arena for the first time this season Friday at 7:30 p.m.

“We’re going to push hard this week and get ready for a battle with Victoria,’’ said Purinton.

CAPS’ CAPSULES: Defenceman Curtis Gedig left Monday to join the Canada West team in Summerside, P.E.I. for the World Jr. A Challenge. He’s also committed to Ohio State University next season. The New Jersey Devils’ draft pick had several schools interested in him.