Mendeszoon has contributed six goals and 15 assists for the Skyhawks this season (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

By Jamie Pote
Eagle-Tribune Sports Reporter

EASTON, Mass. (March 14, 2024) – Two years ago, Josie Mendeszoon spent the season on the Union College bench. She dressed for all 34 games and barely saw the ice. She came from Shattucks Hockey School in Minnesota, primed and ready to play Division I women's hockey. But that opportunity never came.

While she sat on the bench, frustrated and what she described as "becoming a very selfish person," Mendeszoon contemplated leaving the game totally. Little did she know at that time, that three hours east in North Easton, Mass., was a special place that would dramatically change her life.

The Methuen resident entered the transfer portal after the 2021-22 season and started to have conversations with Tara Watchorn, who was starting up a program at Stonehill College.

Mendeszoon was all-in.

A forward by trade, Mendeszoon played defense last year for Stonehill and was part of a group that finished in the Top-20 in the nation in least goals allowed in a season, while helping the team win 19 games.

Watchorn resigned after last year's season to take the same position at Boston University and in came new coach Lee-J Mirasolo, who had other plans for Mendeszoon — moving her back to forward. The junior centers the team's first line along with sophomores Lily Geist and Maddison Achtyl and the trio has combined for 29 goals and 33 assists, accounting for 26 percent of the team's scoring. Josie has 6 goals and 15 assists.

More importantly, the three of them have been a big reason why Stonehill – in its second year of existence – captured the New England Women's Hockey Alliance championship and is now preparing to make its NCAA Division 1 debut with a bout against No. 6 Cornell, Thursday night (7 p.m.) at Colgate University.

"I love winning and being a part of something that so is special like this program is. It has made me not ever think about myself," said Mendeszoon, who was a member of the USA Hockey team at Nationals in 2018 and also a member of both the 2021 Junior Women's Hockey League and NIT National Championship Team. "I was not the person I am today (when I was at Union). I was selfish and just so focused on myself. Here at Stonehill, I would just run through a wall for every player on the team because I love them so much."

The Union hockey experience did however, help her grow immensely. 

"I definitely hit rock bottom. I never had a mental battle as tough as I did there. I just felt like I was all alone and I was trying to figure out and navigate my future," she said, noting that she is following in the footsteps of her brothers Ean, who played at Nazareth College and Jake who will return for his final season next year at Western New England.

Mendeszoon and the NEWHA Champion Skyhawks make theri NCAA Tournament debut tonight against Cornell in Hamilton, N.Y.

The future started when "I stopped feeling sorry for myself," Josie admits.

Then everything started to fall into place rather quickly.

"Having Josie as one of the upperclassmen on this team — which we have so few of them just because of the new program — has been amazing," said Mirasolo, who started her coaching career as an assistant at Phillips Academy. "To watch her grow over the course of the season, to have a front row seat for that, has also been amazing."

At 5-feet-11 tall, Mendeszoon rarely comes off the ice, which is a far cry from two years ago. She takes a regular shift, she's on the penalty kill and she's on the power play.

"She's our net-presence player on our power play and is really good at screening the goaltender which you have to do at this level," said Mirasolo. "She has a long stride so she gets up the rink in a hurry. She uses her body really well and she's got great vision. She knows when to move the puck and when to keep it. She's been a tremendous asset to our program this year in all situations."

Mirasolo added that she remembers a conversation she had with Mendeszoon before the season started.

"She came into our office earlier this year and said 'just give me a chance and I'll run through a brick wall for you.' Josie has been running through brick walls ever since," said the coach.