Wisconsin Mustangs
Encyclopedia
The Wisconsin Wilderness are an American
Junior
ice hockey
team based in Spooner
, Wisconsin
. The Wilderness play in the Canadian
-based Superior International Junior Hockey League
. The Wilderness originated in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League
as the Northwest Wisconsin Knights and Wisconsin Mustangs.
.
From 2001 until 2003, the Knights had an interleague relationship with the Canadian
Superior International Junior Hockey League
. The 2009-10 season saw them back in an interlock with the SIJHL.
On May 17, 2010, the Mustangs announced they were officially leaving the MNJHL, their players were released to a dispersal draft. Soon after they applied for entry into the SIJHL. After a couple months, they were allowed entry. The team dropped the Mustangs logo, colors, and name as the organization entered the new league and chose to go with the "Wilderness" moniker.
On September 17, 2010, the Wilderness played their first ever game as a full member of the SIJHL, on the road, against the Sioux Lookout Flyers
. The Wilderness took the game 3-2. To record their first ever win as a full member of the league. On September 24, 2010, the Wilderness became the first American-based full membership SIJHL team to host a regular season game in the United States. The Wilderness defeated the Fort Frances Lakers 4-3. In 2011, the Wilderness won the league championship.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Junior
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Spooner
Spooner, Wisconsin
Spooner is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,653 at the 2000 census. The city is located mostly within the southwest corner of the Town of Spooner, with a small portion extending into the Town of Beaver Brook on the south, the Town of Bashaw on the southwest,...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. The Wilderness play in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-based Superior International Junior Hockey League
Superior International Junior Hockey League
The Superior International Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada. The winner of the SIJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Northern...
. The Wilderness originated in the Minnesota Junior Hockey League
Minnesota Junior Hockey League
The Minnesota Junior Hockey League is a USA Hockey Tier III sanctioned junior ice hockey league operated out of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota. The league currently has eight member teams in Minnesota and Wisconsin...
as the Northwest Wisconsin Knights and Wisconsin Mustangs.
History
Founded in 2000 as the Northwest Wisconsin Knights as a Junior B team. In 2004, the Knights changed their name to the Wisconsin Mustangs. In 2006, their league was promoted to Tier III Junior A status by USA HockeyUSA Hockey
USA Hockey is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The organization is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has...
.
From 2001 until 2003, the Knights had an interleague relationship with the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Superior International Junior Hockey League
Superior International Junior Hockey League
The Superior International Junior Hockey League is a Junior A ice hockey league under the supervision of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada. The winner of the SIJHL playoffs competes for the Dudley Hewitt Cup with the winners of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Northern...
. The 2009-10 season saw them back in an interlock with the SIJHL.
On May 17, 2010, the Mustangs announced they were officially leaving the MNJHL, their players were released to a dispersal draft. Soon after they applied for entry into the SIJHL. After a couple months, they were allowed entry. The team dropped the Mustangs logo, colors, and name as the organization entered the new league and chose to go with the "Wilderness" moniker.
On September 17, 2010, the Wilderness played their first ever game as a full member of the SIJHL, on the road, against the Sioux Lookout Flyers
Sioux Lookout Flyers
The Sioux Lookout Flyers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.-History:...
. The Wilderness took the game 3-2. To record their first ever win as a full member of the league. On September 24, 2010, the Wilderness became the first American-based full membership SIJHL team to host a regular season game in the United States. The Wilderness defeated the Fort Frances Lakers 4-3. In 2011, the Wilderness won the league championship.
Season-by-Season Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | Playoffs |
| 2003-04 | 40 | 14 | 25 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| 32 | 5th MinJHL | |||||||||
| 2004-05 | 48 | 11 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 151 | 267 | 25 | 6th MinJHL | |
| 2005-06 | 48 | 21 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 180 | 196 | 46 | 4th MinJHL | |
| 2006-07 | 40 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 176 | 130 | 53 | 3rd MinJHL | Lost Semi-final |
| 2007-08 | 48 | 38 | 5 | |||||||
| 5 | 268 | 122 | 81 | 2nd MinJHL | Lost Quarter-final | |||||
| 2008-09 | 48 | 29 | 17 | |||||||
| 2 | 219 | 172 | 60 | 4th MinJHL | Lost Semi-final | |||||
| 2009-10 | 50 | 28 | 18 | |||||||
| 4 | 189 | 148 | 60 | 4th MinJHL | Lost Semi-final | |||||
| 2010-11 | 56 | 45 | 6 | |||||||
| 5 | 264 | 122 | 95 | 1st SIJHL | Won League |
Playoffs
- 2011 Won League, Lost and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt CupDudley Hewitt CupThe Dudley Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by tournaments conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The trophy was first awarded in 1979. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup competes at the 2011 Royal Bank Cup.-History:...
round robin
- Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Fort Frances Lakers 1 two-game aggregate to 1, 2-1 SO tie breaker
- Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Thunder Bay North Stars 4-games-to-none
- Wisconsin Wilderness defeated Dryden Ice DogsDryden Ice DogsThe Dryden Ice Dogs are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Dryden, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League.-History:...
4-games-to-none SIJHL CHAMPIONS - Fourth and eliminated in Dudley Hewitt CupDudley Hewitt CupThe Dudley Hewitt Cup is a championship ice hockey trophy, won by tournaments conducted by the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The trophy was first awarded in 1979. The winner of the Dudley Hewitt Cup competes at the 2011 Royal Bank Cup.-History:...
round robin (0-2-1)
Interleague Results
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | League |
| 2001-02 | 24 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 77 | 118 | 16 | SIJHL |
| 2002-03 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 113 | 12 | SIJHL |
| 2009-10 | 20 | 4 | 15 | ||||||
| 1 | 56 | 90 | 9 | SIJHL |