After three years in the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Platers, Furey played a year with the Cape Breton Islander's of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League before attending Acadia University where he starred with the Acadia Axemen. In his rookie year at Acadia in 1997-98, the Axemen reached the national final, only to lose to the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds. In 2001, Furey helped Team Canada win silver at the 2001 Winter Universiade in Zakopane, Poland.