SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. (WENY) -- GST BOCES Phoenix Academy has a Special Olympics floor hockey team that competes every year.  On the weekend of January 20th, the team won four games at the regional tournament, and is advancing to the state finals.

Coaches say floor hockey has been around for 24 years at Phoenix Academy.  The team is made up of students from different classrooms around campus. This year, the team was made up of players new to the game, and was a season of hard work and fun.

In addition to having fun, coaches say floor hockey teaches valuable life skills.

"They have a great time.  Just to get them to experience the camaraderie of a team, and being able to work as a team, and develop the skills they need to go out there and succeed, and be competitive. They're playing with individuals that are much older then them. They really do a great job, and they walk away with a lot of skills and adaptations that will take them far in life," said Frank Speciale, the work study coordinator at GST BOCES.

The Phoenix Academy team will be competing against other teams from all over New York State.  The tournament is taking place in Syracuse on February 24th.