WILKES-BARRE TWP. — It’s been a very long time since fans have been allowed to watch the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins play in person. But that changed on Friday night, albeit in a limited capacity.
A very limited capacity, it turns out: the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza only welcomed in 15% of their total capacity for their bout against the Syracuse Crunch. That means that, as opposed to the normal maximum of 8,300 fans that can watch a game, now only 1,500 can.
While the Penguins have played games already this season, Friday’s game was the first since Pennsylvania relaxed some of the COVID-19 restrictions.
But there were still plenty of restrictions on Friday night: a voice on a loudspeaker as fans headed into the stadium repeatedly droned, reminding fans to keep their masks on at all times, except when they’re eating, and to make sure they stay six feet apart from other fans who aren’t in their group.
With all the restrictions in mind, though, the fans that did come to the game universally said they were excited to just get back out and do something fun, for once.
Elizabeth and Austin Richardson, of Dallas, brought the kids to enjoy the game, and their excitement was obvious.
“It’s hockey; it’s something that really brought us together, our love for hockey,” Elizabeth Richardson told a reporter. “All season, I’ve been waiting. I just bought our five-year tickets.”
She went on to say that she’s glad that the arena made some fairly substantial changes in order to ensure safety; Richardson said these changes help her feel more secure bringing the family to games.
Some of those changes include a total renovation of the facility’s bathrooms, decking them out with touchless faucets, toilet and soap dispensers and a resin epoxy flooring that is easier to disinfect.
A new HVAC system has also been installed in the building to help increase outside air circulation. Additionally, all seats will be distributed into various socially distant “pods” to keep fans from different households as far apart as possible.
But some of the fans the Times Leader spoke to were simply more excited to get out of the house. Claudia Rupert was one of a group of students from Bloomsburg University that made the trip up to Wilkes-Barre.
According to Rupert, it’s one of the few times she’s been able to safely do anything other than schoolwork for ages.
“We were just bored, honestly, and we were, like, ‘Reduced capacity might mean not a lot of people,’” she said. “It feels really good, honestly, just to get out. Because the only thing I do is go to school and stay at home, so it feels good to actually be able to go out.”