Newtown has a modern-era Hanson Brothers thing going among the Samoskevich siblings — only with a lot more finesse and skill, and the long hair belongs to the women. Back when the movie Slap Shot — featuring the Hansons, three long-haired brothers who were goons — was released (1977), women’s hockey was not nearly as popular as it is today. It was not yet an Olympic sport; that would take another 21 years, in fact.

Fast forward to the 2000s, and twins Maddy and Mackie Samoskevich, both 18, and their older sister, Melissa, 24, have been making quite a name for themselves on the ice — even during these hot summer months.

Mackie was drafted by the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers in late July (see related story); Maddy is entering into her sophomore year at Quinnipiac University; and Melissa — who had a successful career at Quinnipiac herself — is in her second year as assistant coach with Penn State University’s women’s hockey team.

This trio of hockey-loving siblings has made its collective mark by tallying goals and assists, and each Samoskevich player has represented the United States during stints with national teams. As a matter of fact, they all put on the red, white, and blue Team USA jersey for games on the same day, August 17, 2018. Maddy suited up for the U18 squad, Mackie dressed for the USA at the Five Nations Tournament in Piestany, Slovakia, and Melissa played for the U22 team.

Now that’s a hat-trick of a day for the family.

One of Maddy’s most memorable hockey-related experiences came when she traveled to Japan to represent the US in 2019.

“That was one of the coolest experiences ever,” she said. “It was such an amazing opportunity. It’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Each of the Samoskeviches has had tremendous opportunities to travel and play against top-notch competition. It has been made possible by a combination of things, including — of course — natural skill and hard work. Credit mom and dad for helping make it happen — not just getting them to and from the rinks when they were children, but also for providing one.

Parents Patty and Fred (who played ice hockey when he was in high school), built an ice rink, complete with boards, in their Sandy Hook backyard when Melissa, Maddy, and Mackie were young. “He knew the kids would fall in love with the game,” Patty said of her husband.

They sure did.

“In the winter it was used for ice hockey, and the other seasons it was used for street hockey. The kids still use this — in the summers when they are home, they are out there shooting almost daily,” Patty added.

“When I built the rink in the backyard, it wasn’t until the concrete trucks rolled up mixing the concrete I said to myself, ‘What are you doing?’” Fred said lightheartedly. “That was our swimming pool savings. Turns out it was beginning of a journey that I would never imagine.”

What he was doing was providing a base for the ice surface and so much more — the start of three successful hockey careers.

The three Samoskevich skaters all got started on the ice at a young age, playing hockey with area youth teams when they were 5 years old. They broke in at Brewster Ice Arena in New York with the Brewster Bulldogs/Westchester Express, and Maddie also skated in the Western Connecticut program out of Danbury. Then they moved to the Mid Fairfield Blues out of Stamford Twin Rinks. Melissa, Maddy, and Mackie each went on to play at Shattuck St Mary’s Prep School in Minnesota.

Maddy has always played defense but is a strong two-way player: She had the fourth-most points among Quinnipiac defensemen with a goal and seven assists for eight points her freshman year. This past February, she earned Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Week accolades.

The Quinnipiac defender had an on-ice rating of plus seven, meaning she was on the ice for seven more goals the team scored than it allowed throughout the season. She also blocked ten shots. Maddy’s ability to help contribute in both the offensive and defensive zones has served her team well. When she is home from school, Maddy finds some time to serve customers as a waitress at the Blue Colony Diner.

When she was in elementary school, Maddy gave up on hockey for a year to try other things, including dance and track, but soon felt left out and got back on the ice.

She has good memories of that backyard rink and got lots of great practice as the lone defender trying to stop her offense-minded brother and sister.

“We had a good system out there in the backyard growing up,” the Quinnipiac defenseman said.

Mackie’s actual name is Matthew. “When the twins were little, Maddy could not say Matthew so she called him Mackie and that stuck,” Patty said.

Mackie has liked hockey since before he learned to skate. “You could not take a stick out of his hands at the age of 3,” Patty noted.

Always a forward, Mackie competed in the US Five Nations Tournament and also the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament. He spent the last two years playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Chicago Steel. This past year, Mackie served as assistant captain and they won the league championship, bringing home the Clark Cup. Mackie played in 36 games with the Steel in 2020-21, recording 37 points (13 goals and 24 assists) and had ten points in eight postseason games. He was drafted by Florida in the first round.

He participated in the US Hockey Worlds Junior Camp in Michigan this summer, a showcase event that featured players from a variety of countries, and will attend the University of Michigan in the fall.

The Samoskevich twins have followed in the footsteps (skate marks) of their older sister. Mackie said that seeing how hard his older sister worked helped shape him.

Melissa said she tried not to influence her younger siblings’ decisions but was there to encourage them.

“Definitely, it was so much fun growing up and watching them play because they’re so good. They’re the reason I got into hockey,” said Maddy of Mackie and Melissa.

Melissa made her US Women’s National Team debut at the 2018 Four Nations Cup. As a member of the that team, she competed in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championship and earned the gold medal in 2019. As a member of the US U18 Women’s National Team, Melissa participated in two IIHF U18 Women’s World Championships, earning gold in 2015 and silver in 2014. She was a three-time member of the US U22 Women’s Select Team at the U22 Series versus Canada (2015, 2016, 2018), three-time member of the US U18 Women’s Select Team at the U18 Series versus Canada (2012, 2013, 2014), and five-time Women’s National Festival participant (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018). Melissa participated in the 2018 US Women’s National Team Evaluation Camp World Championship.

Melissa was second on the team with 23 points in her 2018-19 senior year at Quinnipiac. As a junior, she recorded a team-high 15 goals and team-high 25 points. Melissa had 29 points in as many games as a sophomore, and tallied 32 points (a perfect split of 16 goals and 16 assists) to earn ECAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman. She ranked second in the country with eight game-winning goals her freshman year.

The success on ice may have been rewarding, and Melissa enjoys the competitiveness, but one of her favorite parts of hockey is establishing friendships along the way. She describes her teammates as being like family.

Mackie, Maddy, and Melissa, as well as Patty and Fred, enjoy each other’s company. When they find time, the hockey-playing trio will play a round of golf together. Mackie describes being back home when everybody is there as an opportunity to be around four of his best friends.

Hockey has taken a unique turn for each of them in recent years. After putting together quite an impressive collegiate career, Melissa has turned her attention to coaching at the collegiate level, joining Penn State’s coaching staff two years ago, and is going for her master’s degree in education leadership. Melissa has found some ice time at various levels when she has time around coaching. In fact, she signed with the professional team the Connecticut Whale for the playoffs this past spring.

Coaching requires a lot of travel for games and recruiting, but Melissa still plays hockey in men’s leagues in Pennsylvania and back home in Connecticut when she has the chance.

“I’m super grateful for the opportunity,” Melissa said of joining the Penn State team behind the bench.

Just as all of the Samoskeviches were appreciative of the chance to play hockey in their backyard. It certainly paid off.

“It makes a huge difference when you’re trying to get better and grow,” Melissa said.

Mackie remembers being on the ice at 6 am before school and again in the afternoons afterward. His sisters recall him spending countless hours on the ice.

“It was a place I could be myself and not worry about anything,” Mackie added.

From the backyard to rinks throughout Connecticut, to the midwest, to Europe and Japan, hockey has taken all of the Samoskevich children very far.

“It’s pretty unique,” Mackie acknowledged.

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