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RiverKings Add Markusen to Blue Line Corps

September 18, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Mississippi RiverKings News Release


(Southaven, MS) - The Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League (CHL) have announced the signing of defenseman Joe Markusen for the 2008-09 season, according to Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Kevin Kaminski. Markusen brings four years professional experience in the ECHL, United Hockey League and International Hockey League to his first CHL season in Mississippi.

Last season, the six-foot, 180 pound Markusen played in the IHL for the Port Huron Icehawks, where he scored 11 goals and added 17 assists for 28 points in 62 games. Markusen added two goals and five points in 12 playoff games for the Icehawks, who reached the Turner Cup finals before being defeated in the final game of the championship series to Fort Wayne in three overtimes.

The North Dakota native split time in the 2006-07 year with Elmira, Kalamazoo, and Port Huron in the UHL. He spent the majority of the season in Kalamazoo, where he finished with five goals and 17 points to go with 95 penalty minutes in 57 games. He was traded to Elmira, where he played in 17 games, scoring two goals and 11 points. He was picked up for the playoffs by Port Huron, scoring a goal and adding an assist in four post-season encounters for the Flags.

Markusen spent the 2004-05 season with Augusta, Reading, and Long Beach in the ECHL. Most of that season was spent with Augusta, where he scored two goals and added five assists for the Lynx in 36 games.

Markusen became a professional after a four-year career in the collegiate ranks at Michigan State University, scoring three goals and adding 27 assists for the Spartans in 155 games. He was the 2004 winner of the Bill Burgess Outstanding Senior Award (2004) and also earned the school's Outstanding Rookie Award and the team's Most Improved Player Award in 2001.

Kaminski says Markusen brings the skill, maturity and the leadership (one season as captain at Michigan State) he exhibits on the ice. "He is very solid defensively with an upside offensively which he's shown increasingly the past two years. This addition comes thanks to the 'buddy system,' because Joe and Garrett Larson have really wanted to play together. This will really solidify our defensive corps."

Markusen says he's excited to come to Mississippi. "I've been told it's definitely a good place to go. This is going to be my fifth year of professional hockey. I feel I've adjusted to the flow and speed of the professional game and I've tried to make that a part of my game. "

Single game tickets are now available for all 32 home dates during the 2008-09 RiverKings' hockey season. Get your tickets now by calling 662-342-1755 today!

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