Isabella Mondolfi’s prep hockey career has been anything but typical.
Mondolfi (Waltham, Mass.) has developed into a key leader for Brooks and will be that again in the upcoming season. The team can’t have it any other way.
With Mike Burns becoming the program’s fourth head coach in four years and inheriting a team that includes six sophomores, just two juniors and four seniors, Mondolfi must be a leader.
“It’s my job as a senior to be able to help these underclassmen build a solid foundation,” Mondolfi said. “At least for my class, we’ve had a lot of moving around with our different coaches. I know [Burns] plans to be here for a while, so just starting to build that foundation and trust in each other will be really important.
“I want to lead by example…and just make every moment count on the ice because this is my last season.”
Mondolfi was a bright spot for a Brooks team that finished just 5-18-2 last winter, recording 12 goals and eight assists. Ahead of a new season in the competitive ISL ranks, the talented forward played for the Massachusetts Spitfires this fall.
It didn’t take long for Burns — who has coaching experience from the Boston Junior Eagles and Boston Junior Bruins organizations — to notice that Mondolfi was a talented player with a Division 1 future and a trusted figure off the ice.
The coach’s thoughts from watching her previously at the club level and talking to those who have coached her have only been verified since taking over the program.
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“I think her best attribute, by far, is her speed. She is one of the best skaters in the league,” Burns said. “When I watched the games from last season, that was very evident. She can push the pace and use her speed to create offensive chances. … As a leader, she’s been great as well. She was one of the first people I talked to when I got the job and has kind of been my right hand over the past few months.”
With Burns working an off-campus day job, Mondolfi has brought the team together culturally and on the ice through captain’s practice.
Led by her class which also includes reigning All-ISL goaltender Kyleigh Matola (Coventry, R.I.), defender Lauren DuBarry, and forward Mary Adams (Andover, Mass.), she sees the pieces of a strong team already coming together.
“It’s definitely been a rollercoaster [in the last few years], but our class is so close. If someone’s having a bad day when they get to the rink, we’re there for each other,” Mondolfi said. “They’re all tremendous leaders…and keep things positive. … The practices have been competitive, high tempo, high energy. It’s been fun being together so far.”
Once her senior year at Brooks concludes, Mondolfi won’t be traveling far to take her game to the next level. After visiting several college campuses around New England, she found the right fit just up the road at Merrimack, where she will suit up for the Warriors in Hockey East.
She knew assistant coach Stephanie Wood and gained familiarity with the campus by playing for the Middlesex Islanders, based out of Merrimack’s Lawler Arena. Even before making an official campus visit, interactions with head coach Erin Hamlen during a showcase helped to seal the deal.
“She was on my bench. I remember her giving me a few pointers when I came back to the bench from my first shift, and then she talked to me through the whole rest of the game,” Mondolfi said. “I’ve had a lot of coaches on the bench at different types of showcases, but I had never come off (before) like, ‘Wow, I really like this coach.’ I knew I could work with her.”
An offer from the Warriors came a couple of days later.
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Though she kept an open mind about schools both inside and outside New England during the college process, all roads led her back home.
“I was really, really excited,” Mondolfi said. “It just kind of worked out, like it was meant to be.”
Two of Mondolfi’s classmates will be playing other sports in college, but Burns is excited to have a high-level hockey commit on the roster as he prepares to begin helping rebuild the program.
“The younger girls certainly have aspirations to keep playing in college,” Burns said. “But to see someone who played at Brooks, worked at it for all four years, kind of realizing a dream of playing Division 1, I think it’s awesome for our program.”
