The Samoskevich family continues to have notable success on the ice. It all started with a backyard rink at their Sandy Hook home many years ago and today Mackie Samoskevich is lighting the lamp in the National Hockey League, while his sisters, Maddy and Melissa continue to make their marks — on and off the ice — at the collegiate level.

Mackie, who played at Shattuck-St Mary’s Prep in Faribault, Minn., went on to skate at the University of Michigan and in the World Junior Championships, made his National Hockey League debut with the Florida Panthers last winter and notched his first career NHL goal this campaign. Through March 11 action, the Panther forward has 12 goals and ten assists, including four game-winning tallies in helping the Panthers to first place in the Atlantic Division as the regular slate hits the stretch run.

His focus now is on making a deep playoff run as the defending Stanley Cup Champion Panthers look to contend for another title, but that first goal, a pretty wraparound against the New York Islanders back in late October, is a memory to cherish for a long time.

“My first goal was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Having my family in the building was so special. They have been by my side since the beginning and got me to where I am today. I wouldn’t be here without them. I was so pumped they could be there for that one,” he said.

Maddy has wrapped up her fifth year at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. The defender recorded eight goals and 14 assists, and blocked a dozen shots. Maddy will enter into the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) draft. She also played at Shattuck-St Mary’s and competed on the US U18 National Team as well as in the 2019 World Championships in Japan.

“I’ve really enjoyed my career so far — it’s been full of great experiences and growth. I’m looking forward to declaring for the PWHL draft and excited to see where it leads. Looking forward to what’s ahead,” Maddy said.

Melissa, who had a nice career of her own at Quinnipiac, went on to have a long career with the US National Team and won an International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship gold medal with the senior team in 2019 (among other medals), and played professionally — including with the Connecticut Whale. She has since coached at Penn State, Quinnipiac, and most recently the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Princeton. She aided the Tigers to an appearance in the ECAC Championship quarterfinals. With the Tigers, she assisted with video analysis, practice planning, drill implementation, special teams, and game management. Now she is coaching at the University of Delaware; she is the school’s first-ever assistant coach for its new women’s hockey program, set to take the ice in the winter of 2025-26.

“I’m super grateful for this opportunity to help assist Allison Coomey start a Division I women’s ice hockey program at the University of Delaware. This is an integral part in growing the women’s game — it will be awesome to create more opportunities for girls in our sport,” Melissa said.

The Delaware team will have its first games in the fall of 2025 and a lot is happening to get as good a product as possible on the ice.

“We have been crafting our team with players all over the US, Canada, and Europe. We are very excited with the athletes coming in this year, as well as the years after that. Along with recruiting, we are planning important elements like scheduling, team culture, rink renovations, equipment needs, hockey systems, as well as many other tasks,” she added. “We are super-excited to hit the ground running.”

From the days of lacing up their children’s skates and seeing them build skills on local ice surfaces to following the progress of their three children Patty and Fred Samoskevich have enjoyed seeing the success of Mackie, Maddy, and Melissa. What’s more, their connections to the game are about much more than tape-to-tape passes or putting pucks in the back of the net.

“Hockey has been a great sport for our family and has been very good to us. All of our kids fell in love with the game at an early age and gave us the opportunity to travel with them almost every weekend. We met so many great families, coaches, and people along the way,” Fred said. “Hockey has built a strong foundation for them, starting at an early age up to now. Their work ethic shows each day and we know this work ethic will carry past their hockey careers.”

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.