Penny Gionta signed up her two sons for a learn-to-skate program in Rochester to keep them busy during the endless Western New York winters. Once they had skating down, they began playing hockey on the same team. In the last game of the season, Stephen Gionta burst down the ice on a two-on-one and slid the puck across to his older brother Brian. Brian buried the chance, as he would bury 123 chances at Boston College and 291 more in the NHL.
Both brothers played in the NHL. Stephen suited up for more than 250 games as a New Jersey Devil and New York Islander, while Brian moved through three clubs before finding his way back to Boston in February.