The Summerland Steam junior hockey team has been sold and will relocate to Williams Lake.
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) announced the sale on March 22, and said it was approved unanimously by the board of governors.
Williams Lake’s team will be known as the Mustangs.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Mustangs franchise to the KIJHL and mark the return of junior hockey to Williams Lake,” said league commissioner Jeff Dubois. “Our board of governors was very impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm shown by the individuals who make up the local ownership group, and we can’t wait to see the Mustangs hit the ice this fall.”
League officials said the decision extends the KIJHL’s geographic footprint 100 kilometres to the northwest and adds a rival for the 100 Mile House Wranglers, who are also in the Cariboo.
The Williams Lake franchise will be owned and operated by a group consisting of Tyrel and Robin Lucas, Gerald Overton, Brad Paddison, Parnell Pinette and Aaron and Nathan Zurak.
Pinette, who will serve as the team’s governor, said the group is pleased to bring junior hockey back to Williams Lake.
“Growing up watching the Mustangs and aspiring to play that level in front of hundreds of screaming friends and family is a dream, and now we are able to give our local hockey talent that same opportunity,” he said.
The Mustangs will play out of the 1,100-seat Cariboo Memorial Recreation Centre, with renovations planned before the 2024 to 2025 season, to enhance the team’s dressing room, offices and broadcast area.
Tyrel Lucas will serve as the team’s head coach and general manager.
Lucas played minor hockey in Williams Lake and had a junior hockey career in the KIJHL, B.C. Hockey League and Western Hockey League, as well as with the University of Calgary, before playing professionally with the Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League from 2007 to 2011.
The Summerland Steam had been a member of the KIJHL since joining the league as an expansion club in 2010. The team was most recently owned by Sean Paxman and Bob Liu.
“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,” Dubois said. “The Hogg family — Steve, Betsy and Tim — deserve special recognition for their dedication and contributions to the Steam and the KIJHL.”
