Prior to enrolling at Clarkson, Curley played for the Hawkesbury Hawks of Ontario. He earned Central Junior "A" Hockey League (CJAHL) All-Star honors while serving as an assistant captain in his second season for the Hawks (2002-03) under head coach Eric Veilleux. He scored 22 points on seven goals and 15 assists through 54 games in 2002-03. Curley was named Hawkesbury's Best Defenseman for the 2001-02 season.

Curley played 4 years of College hockey with the Clarkson Univeristy Golden Knights starting with the 2003-04 season. He recorded the lone goal of the 2003-04 season in Clarkson's victory over Colgate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game in Albany in March (2004). Despite an injury that sidelined him for six games early in the season, Curley skated in 35 games.