More hockey fans will have an chance to cheer on the Vancouver Giants in person starting Friday night 鈥� at least more than have been allowed in to attend the games during the past two years.

鈥淲ithout a doubt鈥� the players are pretty psyched to get 鈥渟ome more bodies, some more bums in the seats,鈥� as 91原创 Event Centre (LEC) returns to 100 per cent seating capacity this week 鈥揻ollowing the lifting of COVID crowd restrictions, said Giants vice-president Dale Saip.

鈥淚t鈥檚 good that we鈥檙e able to welcome everybody back鈥�,鈥� he added, the Vancouver Giants return to action this weekend with a trio of games.

It starts Friday night at the LEC, when the G-Men look to secure their third-straight victory when they host their Island rivals, the Victoria Royals at 7:30 p.m.

Then on Saturday, the Giants will hit the road for a 7 p.m. showdown in Kamloops against the Blazers.

The long weekend wraps up Monday, back at home, when they play a matinee game at 2 p.m. 鈥� again squaring off against Victoria. That鈥檚 followed by a free post-game public skate with the team mascot 鈥� Jack the Giant 鈥� presented by C&D Logistics.

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While the team will be excited to see more people coming out, even this weekend, Saip said they鈥檙e not expecting to immediately be at maximum seating capacity, which is about 4,400.

During the COVID periods, they have been near the limited capacity of about 2,000. The hope is to soon double that.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 expect it to be bursting at the seams to start with,鈥� he added, noting they will work at building the crowd again as they move forward towards playoffs.

鈥淏ecause we weren鈥檛 sure what was going to happen, we haven鈥檛 had much of a runway to get ready for it, to be quite honest,鈥� Saip said.

But, he assured, plans are now in the works to reinstate the Giants school, community, and minor hockey programs and other initiatives to boost the numbers of at-home spectators.

鈥淣ow, we鈥檙e needing to ramp up and make sure we get people back in the building.鈥� I think it鈥檚 long overdue,鈥� he said, noting that young fans especially bring a very high energy to the games 鈥� something that鈥檚 greatly appreciated by the players.

鈥淚t adds so much to the atmosphere,鈥� Saip elaborated, noting how it also motivates the team to play harder.

He offered major accolades to the 鈥渃ommitted鈥� and 鈥渇ocused鈥� young athletes on the Giants and all they鈥檝e had to ensure the past few years.

For example, he said, they played in a bubble for 45 days last year, living in basic isolation in a hotel room for the duration of the abbreviated season. Then this year, they鈥檝e been up and down with COVID restrictions, PCR testing, postponed games, and an 11-hour bus trip up to Kelowna to play because the highway was washed out due to flooding.

鈥淭hese guys, the commitment they鈥檝e made to their trade and what they鈥檝e chosen to pursue, it鈥檚 remarkable and all the credit to them,鈥� Saip said.

He鈥檚 confident getting fans back in the seats will be a huge boast for the morale of these teenage boys.

There are still lots of opportunities for people to get out and catch the action, with the Giants a little more than halfway through the regular season.

Tickets for the at-home games are still .

Saip noted that masks and proof of vaccination are still required.

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SEASON EXTENSION ANNOUNCED

The Giants also announced an updated schedule Thursday, which will see them playing for about a month longer than normal.

That, too, is pandemic related, explained Saip. The Giants had to postpone a number of games in the past two month, due to COVID concerns. So on Thursday, the team and the Western Hockey League rolled out a revised schedule that will see the G-Men making up those games in the first half of April.

In addition to the regular games already on the roster, the team has rescheduled the following:

鈥� April 8 鈥� Vancouver Giants vs. Portland Winterhawks (from Jan. 9)

鈥� April 9 鈥� Vancouver Giants at Kelowna Rockets (from Jan. 7)

鈥� April 10 鈥� Vancouver Giants at Kelowna Rockets (from Feb. 9)

鈥� April 13 鈥� Vancouver Giants vs. Seattle Thunderbirds (from Feb. 6)

鈥� April 15 鈥� Vancouver Giants vs. Kelowna Rockets (from Jan. 22)

陋 April 16 鈥� Vancouver Giants at Kamloops Blazers (from Jan. 8)

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