The Victoria Royals hockey club opens its regular season on Saturday (Oct. 2) against the Vancouver Giants and for the first time in more than 18 months, fans will be in the stands to cheer them on.
“We’re excited to be back in front of our tremendous fans,” said Dan Price, GM and head coach. “The pre-season has given us valuable preparation time. The team is enthusiastic and ready to compete. I’m looking forward to watching the level of competition and speed in this game and throughout the season.”
The Royals are dedicating the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena home opener to heroes of the pandemic. They’ll be hosting guests that represent an array of front-line workers and showing their gratitude for the workers’ service to the Victoria community over the last year and a half.
Hitting the ice for Victoria will be a mix of familiar faces and some new ones who were able to earn their spot after impressing during last month’s camp and preseason play. Some of those new names donning a Royals jersey this season include brothers Wyatt and Anthony Wilson and Russian forward Igor Zborovskiy. The Royals lost all three of their preseason tune-up games, but Price said spirits remain high. Aside from some fixable mistakes, the team was getting their scoring chances.
“There was never any quit, the competition level was there, and the guys didn’t get down or deflated,” he said after their last preseason game.
Fans can get tickets for the season opener on Select Your Tickets or the by calling office at 250-220-7777.
Fans will need to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before being able to enter the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
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