Hamden Hall Country Day School, home to students Pre-K through 12, is not a “big” school in the conventional sense.  It certainly isn’t big in numbers.  Yet, to be a member of Hamden Hall is to know that big is far more than numbers.  In fact,  WE are “big” in far more important ways.  WE are “big” when it comes to kind of people who are part of its vibrant and diverse community.  WE are “big” in the breadth of experience and diversity that exists within our community.  When it comes to athletics,  WE are “big” in the manner through which bright and talented individuals come together as any one of our numerous teams.  The Hamden Hall Hockey Association, coaches, and team members are proud to honor its three 2017-2018 senior skaters, two of whom are “lifers”.  These three student athletes are the epitome of “big”. So, without further ado and with great pride we would like to share our senior honorees with you.

MAISA DELLA VALLE (lifer)

By all accounts, there is nothing surprising about Maisa deciding in her senior year that she’d like to play hockey.   Why not?  The 2017-2018 season just so happened to be Maisa’s first year of playing hockey at Hamden Hall.   Otherwise, Maisa has accomplished quite a lot.  She has a variety of interests and activities inside and outside of school. She is a three-year captain of the varsity lacrosse team, editor of the school newspaper, debate team captain, president of the senior class and is the creator and owner of her own jewelry and hat making business, called Brauntware, for which she donates proceeds of her the sales to various charities.  Maisa would like to major in business or medicine in college.  Maisa’s coaches and teammates have been amazed and inspired by her willingness and desire.  We are so proud to have had Maisa on the team and happy that she will go on record as being a member of the Hamden Hall Ice Hockey team.   We hope that Maisa will continue in life with that same “Why Not?” approach.
 

MATTHEW STAPLETON

Matthew, also known as “Stapes,” has played on the Hamden Hall Ice Hockey team since coming to Hamden Hall in his freshman year.   Hockey has been a part of Matt’s life for as long as he can remember. In addition to hockey, Matt has played varsity lacrosse for four years, varsity football for three years and this year, was a starting defenseman on the varsity soccer team.  Matt has volunteered as a lower school mentor and middle school advocate at Hamden Hall and is a founding member of Scholars and Athletes Serving Others in his home town of Fairfield.   Matthew will be attending the College of Holy Cross in the fall, where he hopes to play club lacrosse and hockey and study economics and political science.  His fondest hockey memory is the day his coach announced that early morning practices were a thing of the past.  A few words we might use to describe Matt are big, passionate, protective, and competitive.  He is a gentleman off the ice and a leader on the ice.  He has set an example for the younger players to emulate in future years and Matt’s presence will be sorely missed.
 

JOSEPH NEUBAUER (lifer)
Joseph is a six-year member of the Hamden Hall hockey team, having joined the team in 7th grade. Hockey has been a very important part of his life inside and outside of Hamden Hall and it has shown as he has been a defensive rock for his team.   Joe is also a three-year member of the varsity golf team and participates in various clubs at school.  In addition to playing hockey at Hamden Hall, he is also plays as a member of the Wallingford Hawks U18 hockey team.  In the Fall, he plans to major in business in college and hopes to play club hockey. His hope for the future of Hamden Hall Ice Hockey is that the program will continue to grow and thrive so that others can have the same experience he has had.  

Joe’s style of play seems to mirror his personality.  He is soft-spoken but solid and unselfish.  He is someone his teammates, and especially his goalie, could always count on.  We sincerely hope that Joe will not stop playing hockey nor at being the person he has shown us to be.

Maisa, Matt, and Joe are players who we’ve gotten to know more about through the hockey program and we are better for it. We should also say that we are proud to have gotten to know their parents who have done so much to help this program.  There are no words that can express our appreciation.

As time transpires and they look back to the 2017-2018 season, we hope that Maisa, Matt, and Joe will have a sense of pride in being part of something not only for what it may have done for themselves, but for what it will likely have done for future players they’ve yet to know.  Maisa, Matt, and Joe, congratulations on becoming graduating members of an ever growing community of Hamden Hall Ice Hockey alumni.