By: Joe Cicchino - Sports Information Assistant

WEST CHESTER -- After the first game of the season, Germantown Academy ice hockey head coach John Fields said that he expected a lot out of Matt Cho '21 this season. Fields said that Cho was "bringing so much to table," but did not realize it because he is so young.

At that point, the sophomore was making plays all over the ice, whether it was breaking up passes or getting the puck deep. He was getting opportunities to score, but was not converting as many as he probably would have liked. That changed when Germantown Academy took on Episcopal Academy on Jan. 16.

In the Patriots' closest game of the season -- a 4-2 win -- Cho recorded his first hat trick of the year. The output was crucial, as GA was playing with only seven healthy players in its lineup.

"I mean, scoring three goals in a single game feels great, but I couldn’t have achieved this without my teammates," Cho said. "With Jake Landmesser '19 and Nicky Saldutti '21 constantly producing offensive opportunities, and Jake Dierks '22 and Moseley Schwartz '20 holding back on defense. This night would not have been possible without these people." 

Cho said that he thought the team started a little slow due to the lack of players, but once Episcopal scored, they picked things up. Landmesser scored an end-to-end goal with 5:05 left in the second period that turned the game in the Patriots' favor. 

"EA outworked our entire team, coming out stronger than ever, which, of course put pressure on [us]," Cho said. "Through it all, I feel like this 'pressure' truly energized the whole team for the rest of the game"

Will Reardon '22, Saldutti and Landmesser each had assists in the contest. Jamie Werther '19 faced 26 shots, but came up with big saves to limit the Churchmen. 

The win keeps the Patriots perfect on the season. They take on The Haverford School on Jan. 23 at 4:40 p.m. GA defeated the Fords 4-1 earlier this season.