Germantown Academy A Young Team

Traditionally an elite program Germantown Academy has had problems recruiting players. The roster has shrunk every year for the last three seasons, leading to another rebuilding year as they are on route to consecutive losing seasons. According the ICSHL website GA ended Philadelphia AAA team play with a 4-8-0 record in 06-07 and are currently 0-2 so far in 07-08 with the bulk of their remaining AAA games to be played in January. The team website lists the Patriots as 1-4 in their first five with a match versus Cardinal O'Hara set for December 13 having been canceled. GA has long been a leader in the Philadelphia hockey community winning Flyers Cups in 1982, 1983, 1994, and 1995. Head coach Gump Whiteside has no choice but to go with a youth movement fielding a team comprised of twelve underclassmen, two sophmores, and one senior. Coach Whiteside, who played at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has described the team as "young but gritty," according to The Edition, saying, "with our young freshmen stepping up, we are always capable of winning a championship."