It’s down to the final four in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoffs.
The Princeton Posse and Revelstoke Grizzlies will slug it out in the Okanagan-Shuswap conference final, with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks and Fernie Ghostriders set to do battle in the Kootenay conference final.
Whatever the outcome, here’s one for sure item: The Summerland Steam will no longer call the Okanagan home.
On Friday, the league announced that the Steam had been sold and will relocate to Williams Lake, where they’ll become the Mustangs.
“The sale and move was approved unanimously by the KIJHL’s board of governors and will take effect immediately,” the league said in a release. “With the addition of the Mustangs, the KIJHL geographic footprint expands nearly 100 kilometres to the northwest and adds a natural rival for the Cariboo’s existing team, the 100 Mile House Wranglers.”
The Steam had been in Summerland for the past 13 seasons, with their first season being 2011-12.
Summerland also had a rough 2023-24 season, winning just nine of 44 games (9-24-5-1-0). They finished fifth and last in their Okanagan-based division with 24 points and did not qualify for the playoffs.
Attendance issues are likely why the team relocated. The largest home crowd this season was 254 on Oct. 6, a 6-5 overtime win against Osoyoos. Most attendance figures were less than 150, with the smallest being 102.
Global News has reached out to the Steam for comment.
“The KIJHL would like to thank all those individuals who worked incredibly hard over many years as part of the Summerland Steam organization, including the team’s many volunteers and billets, as well as their fans,” said commissioner Jeff Dubois. “The Hogg family — Steve, Betsy and Tim — deserve special recognition for their dedication and contributions to the Steam and the KIJHL.”
By relocating to the central Cariboo, the team is moving from a community of around 12,000 to one of around 25,000.
However, Williams Lake has had an on-and-off scenario with junior hockey teams.
Originally, the Mustangs joined the junior-B Peace Cariboo Junior Hockey League in 1978-79 before eventually folding in 1995-96.
By then, the league was known as the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League after the merger of the PCJHL and the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League in 1991.
Williams Lake regained a team, named the Timberwolves, in 2002-03, but that franchise played just six seasons in the B.C. Hockey League, with the last being 2009-10.
Notably, the Timberwolves tried relocating to Wenatchee, Wash., in 2007, but it failed. The league also shot down a possible move to Dawson Creek.
Tyrel Lucas will serve as Williams Lake’s head coach and general manager.
Lucas played in the BCHL and WHL before playing two seasons with the University of Calgary and three seasons in the Central Hockey League.
Interestingly, this is the second time an Okanagan-based KIJHL team has relocated to the Cariboo. In 2013, the Penticton Lakers moved to 100 Mile House, where they are now known as the Wranglers.
The team is currently looking for a new head coach and general manager.
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