"It feels great, especially this year! We were psyched up since the first game waiting for the tournament," said John Giardino after St. Mary's High School Boys' Varsity Hockey Team won the New York State Championship. He and his family chose St. Mary's because he needed a more disciplined environment to improve his academic performance and because he wanted to play on its hockey team. Now a senior, with a 97.1 average and hopes of entering West Point, John has been invited by Coach Henry Lazar to play Junior A Hockey for a year to increase his visibility. He feels his experience as assistant captain of the Gaels has taught him to "Be a leader, build teamwork and relate to other players as they go through their ups and downs. We won, but you can learn just as much on a bad team as on a good team."