The Logan Lake Miners will be joining the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League ahead of the 2022/23 season.
It will feature student-athletes who are enrolled in full time courses at both Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt.
Coached by Mike Carlsen, the Miners will call the Logan Lake Recreation Centre home.
“We’re thrilled to be adding our third new program since 2017. Mike and his organizing group have done a fantastic job working with us over the past year and putting together a strong application,” BCIHL President Chris Munshaw said, in a statement. “Their core values centered around community, respect and character align with ours and we believe they have a head start on a successful program.”
“We believe the close-knit community, the facility and the team behind the team are a great foundation, and that Logan Lake will make a nice home with a lot of unique opportunities in the future.”
Logan Lake will become the fifth team in the league, joining Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Island University, the University of Victoria and the Okanagan Lakers, which features students based at both UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College.
“The Miners are honing in on a deep talent pool of graduating junior hockey players in the Okanagan, as well as across BC and Alberta, many of whom are looking for opportunities to compete and study closer to home rather than the traditional American university hockey routes many Canadians take,” Munshaw added.
The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack used to be a member of the league between 2009 and 2014, while its most recent champions, the Trinity Western University Spartans, play Canada West Hockey.
To commemorate the launch of the Logan Lake Miners, there will be a pair of neutral site games between the Okanagan Lakers and the VIU Mariners this Friday, Feb. 11, and Saturday, Feb. 12.
Admission is free, but there is limited space because of COVID-19 public health measures.
Both games start at 7:30 p.m., with Friday’s game being streamed on YouTube as well.
The Town of Logan Lake will get to experience BCIHL hockey for the first time tonight as the Okanagan Lakers play host to the Vancouver Island Mariners!
Reminder that tonight’s action will be streamed live on Youtube: https://t.co/Gynmzm1DFG #BCIHL pic.twitter.com/J3pFvnAvxw
— British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (@bcihl) February 11, 2022
