By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Former Long Beach Bombers player Curtis Fisher (2009-11) will join longtime Long Beach hockey supporter Josh Fitzgerald in teaming up as the new ownership of the USPHL Premier’s Long Beach franchise.
The former Long Beach Shredders struggled a bit in their time in the USPHL, winning a total of 25 games in three seasons. Rather than try to build up that brand, Fisher and Fitzgerald instead reached into the past – 30 years worth of history – to bring back the Long Beach Bombers name.
Fitzgerald owns and manages a local window and door replacement business. “I’ve been here supporting the club and was one of the Shredders’ sponsors the last three years,” said Fitzgerald. “We are eager to revamp the culture in Long Beach and expect to do a lot of work for this organization, the players, the facility [The Rinks Lakewood Ice] and for the city. We are here to give players the best opportunity and put on the best show that we can. Then, when we begin winning, we will have a better atmosphere, including more spectators.”
Fisher has seen the best of times with the Bombers, who transitioned from the Bay City Bombers, founded in 1994, to the Long Beach Bombers in his second season there. His play with the Bombers opened doors for him to play college hockey, committing to New York University and winning an ACHA National Championship there. Fisher was a business major, earning an Organizational Behavior Business degree, while also minoring in psychology.
“We were looking for a culture change, and if people see a new identity and culture, they will see that we are re-building this franchise,” said Fisher. “We are in the recruiting process, making a lot of phone calls to players. We will have our first tryout camp June 20-23, and our second and Main camp in August, from which we will really pick our team. Prior to these camps, we will be going to different showcases to recruit, such as the Chowder Cup, Vegas Global and some showcases in Anaheim. We are looking at a few head coach candidates right now as well.”
For more information on the Long Beach Bombers, or to inquire about camp openings for June 20-23, reach out to Curtis Fisher at [email protected] and Josh Fitzgerald at
[email protected].
About The USPHL
Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players in more than 100 organizations, with player ages ranging from 6 to 21.
Our teams are geographically diverse, ranging from North and South to the Midwest, West Coast and also in Canada. The USPHL fields teams in a variety of divisions from Junior to youth (in partnership with the Tier 1 Hockey Federation).
Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free, Junior hockey division and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college placement and beyond.
Our midget and youth divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) consist of Full-Season 8U thru 18U age levels.
The USPHL, from all of its Midget and Junior tiers, has sent more than 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey, and more than 3,300 into the NCAA college hockey, since its 2012 founding. The NCDC has put more than 200 players into NCAA Division I hockey and has seen seven players drafted by NHL teams directly from the NCDC.
