The Fury sign Angel, Pomaranski and Rathjen
September 28, 2005 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Muskegon Lumberjacks News Release
MUSKEGON, MI.--- The tedious task of roster-building seems to be reaching its final stages for the two-time reigning Colonial Cup Champions of the United Hockey League, the Muskegon Fury, as the UHL's and minor pro hockey's best winning franchise makes its last preparations for its latest title defense in the rapidly-approaching 2005-06 season. Having captured custody of "The Cup" in three of the past four seasons and an all-time league record four times through the past six calendar years, the Fury organization's aim remains the same; another championship and the first-ever in league history to claim the rather elusive trifecta or "three-peat."
With their 14th training camp less than two weeks henceforth, the Fury roster has increased to an even 20-players with today's announcement of three more newcomers being added to their stable. On this date, Team Owner and Club President Tony Lisman, in collaboration with Director of Hockey Operations / Head Coach Todd Nelson, have announced that three rookie, first-year pros have agreed to contract terms and will hit the ice when Muskegon convenes its training camp sessions on October 9th at their home of Walker Arena.
Making their respective professional debuts with the league titlists will be goaltender DAVE RATHJEN and defensemen BRETT ANGEL and JOE POMARANSKI. Adhering to club policy, terms of these contracts were not disclosed.
RATHJEN, 25, becomes the third goaltender to be included under contract by Muskegon. The 5-10, 198lb native of Penticton, B.C. will come to the Fury following a three-year career in the Canadian Collegiate ranks with the national perennial powerhouse University of Alberta where he was a teammate of current Fury netminder Clayton Pool. Recommended to the Fury by former Fury 1999 Colonial Cup I coach Rich Kromm, Rathjen was a member of the Golden Bears squad which claimed the 2004-05 Canadian Inter-Collegiate National Championship. At the inception of last season, the Fury's newest netminder attended the NHL Edmonton Oilers rookie camp and promptly proceeded to register an impressive-looking shutout in the rookie game.
Shutouts seem to have been the specialty art form for Rathjen, as previous to his U. of Alberta stint, he established two whitewashing records for the Penticton Panthers of the BCHL. In the 1999-00 campaign, Rathjen posted a club record five shutouts and an all-time mark for most consecutive shutout minutes in a season at 184:48. Those records still remain intact today. In that same season, he was named BCHL Goaltender of the Year and earned a coveted berth on the BCHL First All-Star Team, achieving a brilliant overall record of 30(20-6-4) with a 2.40 GAA and .914 SPCT. Moreover, in the following season of 2000-01, he was named Team MVP for the Vernon Vipers, also of the BCHL.
ANGEL, 24, is also getting set to sail into his initial pro campaign. His acquisition by Muskegon automatically injects the dimension of size on the Fury blue line. At a hulking and strapping 6-6, 240lb, the Kingston, Ontario native will be the biggest player in the Fury lineup, and for that matter, one of the true behemoths in the entire UHL. Currently attending the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins training camp, Angel is a former third round draft choice, 72nd overall, of the Nashville Predators in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
For the past four years, he, too, has been toiling in the Canadian Collegiate ranks with Acadia University of the CIS his hockey playing address. In the 2004-05 season with the Maritimes-located school, the left-hand shooting giant of a man collected 3-goals, 1-assist for 4-points in 22-games, accruing 54-PIM and a solid +5 rating. Angel does have a rather vast and varied background despite his youthful age. Previous to his college career with the "Axemen," he spent nearly five years performing at the Major Junior A' level in the OHL with North Bay, London, Mississauga and Windsor.
POMARANSKI, 22, is the third rookie of this latest group of new Fury additions to their roster. The 6-1, 200lb native of the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Michigan comes to Muskegon after completing a four-year collegiate career of his own at the University of Miami Ohio of the CCHA. Last season, in the 2004-05 campaign with the Red Hawks, he recorded 5-points in 27-games on 4-goals, 1-assist while accumulating 22-PIM.
His best offensive year with Miami was his freshman season of 2001-02 when he engineered 13-points in 36-games through 5-goals, 8-assists, including 3-PPG and 34-PIM. Prior to Pomaranski's collegiate career, he was a standout performer for the U.S. Junior National Team in 2000-01.
Today's signings of the three newest Fury reinforcements, DAVE RATHJEN, BRETT ANGEL and JOE POMARANSKI bring to an even 20 the number of players signed to contracts for the 2005-06 season by Muskegon. Previously, the Fury announced the signings of goaltenders KEVIN LAPOINTE, CLAYTON POOL; defensemen JON INSANA, TREVOR JOHNSON, STEVE O'ROURKE, DAVE VAN DRUNEN, CLAY WILSON; centers BILLY COLLINS, JEFF NELSON, TODD ROBINSON; left wings KEN FELS, JASON LAWMASTER, DAVID WRIGLEY; right wings ROBIN BOUCHARD, RUSTYN DOLYNY, NIGEL HAWRYLIW, BILL ZALBA.
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