Posts Tagged ‘Nick Grove’

Over the past few minutes, Aces Over Brooklyn has confirmed that defenseman Nick Grove has been traded from the Aces to the Hudson Valley Bears for future considerations.

Despite being one of the steadiest defensemen in the league this season with 22 points in 34 games, Brooklyn believed Grove was expendable once fellow defensemen Rob Miller and Andrew Scampoli rejoined the team.

According to the Aces, a revised work schedule also played a part in the move.

“Things have changed for him lately and we felt that he’d be a better fit with Hudson Valley right now because he’s very close with the staff over there,” said Aces head coach Chris Firriolo. “He’s been one of the best defensemen in the league all season, but we have seven [defensemen] right now and we had to make a move.”

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

For those who missed the Brooklyn Aces’ last game on December 20, you may have missed a big time moment in the team’s season.

Already without Tony Resendes and Rob Miller, the Aces were forced to skate with four defensemen, with forward Mike Thomson getting double shifted at both positions, but were still able to fight off a New Jersey Rockhoppers team that seems to get better every time it comes to Aviator.

That, my friends, means something.

However, the Aces are still shorthanded and things may get worse before they get better. Out for nearly a period on Saturday, Aces defenseman Nick Grove, who has been extremely steady on both ends of the ice this season, looked extremely uncomfortable on the ice the rest of the game, grimacing with every stride. If the steady Grove is indeed out of the lineup, the Aces will not only need Thomson to play defense the entire game against Danbury, they may need an emergency call up at forward.

Through 12 games this season, Brooklyn Aces defenseman Nick Grove has sparkled on both ends of the ice, scoring 10 points and manning the point on both the powerplay and the penalty kill. However, what is even more impressive is the fact that this season marks Grove’s return to professional hockey after a year and a half away from the sport. At 26, Grove is still a candidate to advance to higher levels, but at the same time is the consistent and reliable veteran the Aces will need in order to make the playoffs and perhaps even win a championship this season. Chatting with AcesOverBrooklyn.com, Grove talks about his game, his teammates and his favorite part of this young season.

Aces Over Brooklyn- You were out of hockey for a while, but it seems like you’ve just jumped right in and you haven’t missed a beat. How do you feel right now?

The newest team in the EPHL, the Hudson Valley Bears, concluded their player draft earlier in the week and three players from the Aces were lost in the process. Defensemen Joe Lyle and Gabe Yeung and goaltender Len DiCostanzo will all have some Uhauls to rent in the next few days on their ways to their new club. While Lyle and DiConstanzo have minimal professional hockey experience, so it’s impossible to know what they would have done this season in Brooklyn, it would have been nice to see the 6′5, 230 pound Yeung [who has skated for 13 teams over the past five seasons in 10 different leagues] in Brooklyn this season, especially with the gritty Dan Rohanna as his partner.

Nevertheless, in spite of those losses, you have to like the direction this team is going. With only three players announced thus far, the Aces have already addressed several key roles, which could play a pivotal role in their success this season.

At 5′10, 190 pounds, Aces defenseman Nick Grove may not be the biggest or strongest player in the lineup this season, but he has two things in abundance that put him in a league of his own.

Smarts and heart.

However, like fellow teammate Dan Rohanna, Grove has been out of professional hockey for a while, having played his last game during the 2006-07 season with the SPHL Pee Dee Cyclones.

Nevertheless, he’s ready to resurrect his career in Brooklyn this season.

“This is a chance for me to prove to myself that I can play again,” the New York City Native said. “I’m ready to go.”

Ironically, Grove was a teammate of Rohanna’s at SUNY- Fredonia before transferring to Johnson and Wales University in 2004 and has remained close to him over the past few years. Nevertheless, during his time at Fredonia with Rohanna, Grove battled serious leg injuries that limited his ability to develop as a forward. Once at Johnson and Wales however, Grove developed into an excellent two-way defenseman, scoring 36 points in 52 games, while serving as the team’s lone captain.