Williams Lake Mustangs

The Williams Lake Mustangs founded as the Summerland Steam in 2011 are a Canadian Junior A team based out of the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex in Williams Lake, British Columbia. The team is a member of the Bill Ohlhausen Division in the Okanagan/Shushwap Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League
While known as the Steam they played their homes games at Summerland Arena. The Summerland Steam relocated to Williams Lake, British Columbia in March 2024. The Williams Lake Mustangs will play their home games at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
==History==
The Summerland Steam were founded in 2011, and began play in the 2011-12 season in the Okanagan Division of the KIJHL. The town of Summerland previously had a franchise in the KIJHL, called the Summerland Sting, which relocated to Penticton for the 2009-10 KIJHL season, only two seasons before the Steam were founded. In the 1980s, the town was home to the Summerland Buckaroos, a Junior A team in the British Columbia Hockey League. The Buckaroos only lasted five seasons due to continuous losing records. In the Steam's first season, they missed the playoffs, finishing with a record of 15-35-0-2 and 32 points in 52 games, 24 points behind 4th place Kelowna. In their second season, the Steam qualified for the playoffs with a 21-28-1-2 record. They fell, 4-2, to the Kelowna Chiefs in the first round, losing four straight after winning the first two games of the series in Kelowna. In 2013-14, the Steam won the Okanagan Division, winning their last seven games and pulling ahead of Kelowna in the final few games of the regular reason. They were, however, upset in the first round of the divisional playoffs by North Okanagan. In 2014-15, the Steam finished second in the Okanagan Division, with a record of 28-19-2-3. They defeated the rival Chiefs in the first round, advancing to the division final. They lost, narrowly, to the division champion Osoyoos Coyotes. 12 players returned for the Steam for the 2015-16 season. Despite their recent conception, the Steam hold intense rivalries with all of their fellow Okanagan Division teams, most notably the Kelowna Chiefs and Osoyoos Coyotes. They were also fierce geographic rivals with the Penticton Lakers for a few seasons, before the forced relocation of the Lakers to 100 Mile House. The Steam finished the 2015-16 KIJHL season with a record of 34-16-0-0-2, 2nd in the Okanagan Division behind the Osoyoos Coyotes. In the first round of the playoffs, the Steam defeated the Kelowna Chiefs 4-2 in a violent series, the second straight year the Steam have done so. They then defeated the regular-season division champions Osoyoos Coyotes in the second round, advancing to play the 100 Mile House Wranglers in the conference finals. The Wranglers would defeat the Steam 4-1, including a controversial Game 4 overtime winner. On August 10, 2016, the Steam named defenceman Alex Williams as team captain. The Steam finished the 2016-17 season with a record of 34-9-1-3, and defeated Kelowna in the first round, in seven games, before being swept by the Osoyoos Coyotes in the second round. The Summerland Steam relocated to Williams Lake, British Columbia in March of 2024. 
==Origins of the team name==
The Steam's name was taken from the famous Kettle Valley Steam Railway, the only remaining line of the trans-provincial Kettle Valley Railway, which runs through Summerland, and is a popular tourist destination in the town. The steam engine is pictured in the team's logo.
The Williams Lake Mustangs (original) were a junior team that played in Williams Lake from 1978 to 1996.
==Season-by-season record==
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Season 	GP 	W 	L 	T 	OL 	Pts 	GF 	GA 	Finish 	Playoffs 	
2011-12 	52 	15 	35 	0 	2 	32 	197 	300 	5th, Okanagan 	Did not qualify 	
2012-13 	52 	21 	28 	1 	2 	45 	163 	202 	4th, Okanagan 	Lost Div Semifinals, 2-4 (Chiefs) 	
2013-14 	52 	33 	15 	1 	3 	70 	208 	152 	1st, Okanagan 	Lost Div Semifinals, 2-4 (Knights) 	
2014-15 	52 	28 	19 	2 	3 	61 	167 	141 	2nd, Okanagan 	Won Div. Semifinal, 4-3 (Chiefs)Lost Div. Finals,2-4 (Coyotes) 	
2015-16 	52 	34 	16 	0 	2 	70 	173 	122 	2nd, Okanagan 	Won Div. Semifinal, 4-3 (Chiefs)Won Div. Finals, 4-2 (Coyotes)Lost Conf Finals, 1-4 (Wranglers)	
2016-17 	41 	29 	8 	1 	3 	62 	162 	103 	2nd, Okanagan 	Won Div Semifinal, 4-3 (Chiefs)Lost Div Finals, 0-4 (Coyotes) 	
2017-18 	47 	27 	16 	1 	3 	58 	173 	156 	3rd, Okanagan 	Lost Div. Semifinals 3-4 (Coyotes) 	
2018-19 	49 	25 	20 	2 	2 	54 	166 	155 	2nd, Okanagan 	Won Div. Semifinals 4-1 (PosseLost Div. Final 1-4 (Chiefs) 	
2019-20 	49 	22 	22 	1 	4 	49 	162 	174 	3rd of 5, Ohlhausen 	Lost Div. Semifinals 0-4 (Princeton) 	
2020-21 	3 	2 	1 	0 	0 	4 	9 	8 	N/A 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 	
2021-22 	42 	22 	16 	- 	4 	48 	148 	163 	3rd Ohlhausen 	Lost in Division Final 2-4 (Coyotes) 	
2022-23 	44 	14 	24 	- 	6 	34 	104 	165 	4th, Bill Ohlhausen 	Lost Div Semifinal, 0-4 (Posse) 	
2023-24 	44 	9 	29 	5 	1 	24 	74 	199 	5 of 5, Bill Ohlhausen18 of 20 KIJHL	Did Not Qualify 	
Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs	Williams Lake Mustangs 	Williams Lake Mustangs 	Williams Lake Mustangs
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==Playoffs==
Records as of February 17, 2024.Playoff Results League Champions
Season 	Division Semifinals 	Division Finals 	Conference Finals 	KIJHL Championship
2011-12	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
2012-13	L, 2-4, Kelowna 	— 	— 	—
2013-14	L, 2-4, North Okanagan 	— 	— 	—
2014-15	W, 4-3, Kelowna 	L, 2-4, Osoyoos 	— 	—
2015-16	W, 4-2, Kelowna 	W, 4-2, Osoyoos 	L, 1-4, 100 Mile House 	—
2016-17	W, 4-3, Kelowna 	L, 0-4, Osoyoos 	— 	—
2017-18	L, 4-3, Kelowna 	— 	— 	—
2018-19	W, 4-1, Princeton 	L, 4-1, Kelowna 	— 	—
2019-20	L, 4-0, Princeton 	— 	— 	—
2020-21	Playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus	Playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus	Playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus	Playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus
2021-22	W, 4-1, Kelowna 	L, 2-4, Osoyoos 	— 	—
2022-23	L, 0-4, Princeton 	— 	— 	—
2023-24	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify 	Did not qualify
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==Awards and trophies==
Most Sportsmanlike
*Steve Semenoff: 2011-12 (Divisional)
Rookie of the Year
*Kienan Scott: 2013-14
==See also==
* List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
* Summerland Sting
==References==
==External links==
*Official website of the Summerland Steam
*Official website of the KIJHL
*Official website of the Cyclone Taylor Cup
*Official website of the Keystone Cup
Category:Ice hockey teams in British Columbia
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:Established in 2011
Category:Kootenay International Junior League teams