Merrimack 6, Army 3 – Notebook

Post Game Reax

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Mark Dennehy – Merrimack Head Coach

Stephane Da Costa – Merrimack Forward
(Note: Da Costa asked after the recorders were off to thank the fans. He raved about the atmosphere and wanted to make sure the fans got noticed.)

Mark Dennehy – Mike Machnik Podcast

Stephane Da Costa – Mike Machnik Podcast

Analysis

• Stephane Da Costa has arrived, folks. The rookie potted five goals, including a natural hat trick in a 10-minute span of the first period, to power the Warriors to a hard-working win. Here are some tidbits on a history-making night for Da Costa and the Warriors:
  -Stephane Da Costa became the first Hockey East player since Brian Gionta (1/27/01) to score 5 goals in a game.
  -Da Costa is the first player to score five goals and get a natural hat trick as part of his first collegiate goal.
  -He is the first Merrimack player to score five goals since Merrimack joined Hockey East 21 years ago.
  -It’s also the most goals scored in a single game by a Warrior since going Division 1.
  -Five goals by Da Costa were the most by a Warrior since Alex Sitkachev scored four goals in 2000. It’s second behind only Bob Magnusson’s six goals scored in a 9-2 win over Babson in 1980 in the ECAC East Quarterfinals.
  -His was the first natural hat trick by a Merrimack freshman, ever.
  -His five goals are the most in a game by a Hockey East freshman since Joe Flanagan (UNH) in 1989.
  -His three power play goals are the tied for the second most in NCAA history and the most since November 6, 2005.
  -He netted the first Merrimack hat trick at home since 2003 (Marco Rosa).
• I can’t say enough how about impressive Da Costa was against Army. Obviously, with five goals, it shows. He has a presence on the ice, he brings some electricity. It doesn’t even take him touching the puck – he hops over the boards and you can’t help but be on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what he’ll do next. And to be honest, I think he’s a better puck distributer than a goal scorer. Get ready, Merrimack fans, because this is a special player. Take advantage of watching him live while you can. Players like this don’t come around too often.
• As good as Da Costa was, and he was excellent (11 shots!) his linemates and teammates played a real strong game as well. It wasn’t without its mishaps for the Warriors, who allowed Army back in the game after a 3-0 lead, but Merrimack went for the knockout punch in the third period, which is something this team has not been able to do in a long, long time.
• Joe Cucci had a terrific game, assisting on three goals. John Heffernan keeps impressing me with his presence on the ice and his strength – he’s much stronger than he was at B.C. High.
• Glenn Stewart is in charge of running the Warriors’ penalty kill, which has been fantastic through four games. It will go a bit overlooked due to Da Costa’s magical performance against Army, but the Warriors killed all four Army power plays, and totaled an 8-for-8 weekend on the kill including the Holy Cross game. The Warriors are 19 of 21 on the year on the PK (90.4%).
• Francois Ouimet, who was out of the lineup on Friday, returned with a spark, scoring to put the Warriors ahead 4-2 late in the second period. Ouimet also registered four shots on net.
• I was a little disappointed that Merrimack let Army back in the game after leading 3-0. Army was able to make it 3-2 before the end of the first period, including scoring a shorty off an odd-man rush coming the other way.
• The Warriors were very aggressive, both on the forecheck and in their own end. They attacked the puck no matter where it was or who had it. Army was never able to hold possession or gain any momentum.
• He didn’t register a point, a shot and was a -1, but I thought J.C. Robitaille had a nice game against Army. He played physical on the forecheck and will use his playmaking ability to start setting Chris Barton and Jesse Todd on fire before long.