(Image Credit: Facebook/Kamloops Storm)

By Aaron Schulze

Kamloops vs. Williams Lake

Storm to play Mustangs in second round of KIJHL playoffs

Mar 17, 2026 | 7:58 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Storm have their date for the final eight of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) playoffs. 

The Williams Lake Mustangs took down the Quesnel River Rush in seven games to punch their ticket to the Doug Birks Division Final. Blake Collison scored the winner 12:58 into overtime of game seven to secure the 3-2 win Monday (March 16) from the Cariboo Memorial Rec Complex in Williams Lake. 

The Storm, meanwhile, have been waiting since completing a four-game sweep of the Chase Heat in the first round of the playoffs on March 11. 

The Storm finished first in the Doug Birks Division during the 2025-26 regular season with 66 points from 44 games (32-10-1-1), nine points ahead of the second-place Mustangs (26-13-2-3). 

However, the Mustangs won the head-to-head series again the Storm, taking four out of five games in the regular season.

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The Mustangs won the first game 7-6 in overtime on Oct. 3. The Storm responded with a 4-0 shutout victory at home on Nov. 28, but the Mustangs rattled off three straight wins: 6-3 on Jan. 9, 6-0 on Jan. 31 and 6-5 on Feb. 13. The Mustangs won both games in Williams Lake and two out of three games in Kamloops. 

Game one between the Storm and Mustangs takes place Friday (March 20) at McArthur Island in Kamloops. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. 

The winner of the best-of-seven series will play the KIJHL regular season champion Revelstoke Grizzlies or the Princeton Posse in the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference final.