Merrimack’s Da Costa had a five-star debut

Coach Mark Dennehy has been fielding phone calls ever since Da Costa’s bonanza.

“That is going to jump off the page at anybody,’’ said Dennehy. “We have [heard from] the media as well as some NHL teams just calling to [ask], ‘How did this happen?’ A lot of teams are going back and checking their notes, so to speak.’’

It marked the first time since Merrimack joined Hockey East 21 years ago that a Warrior tallied five goals in a contest. Da Costa became the first player in the league to score five goals since Boston College’s Brian Gionta had five in the first period against Maine in a 7-2 victory Jan. 27, 2001. Da Costa is also the first player to have his first goal in Hockey East be part of a natural hat trick and a five-goal game.

Da Costa, a native of Paris, was an unknown quantity to Dennehy and his staff when he began playing for Sioux City in the United States Hockey League. The coach said the first time he saw Da Costa was on video, when he was actually interested in another player. Da Costa stood out, though.

“We were recruiting his linemate [Ben Kinne] two years ago, who ended up going to Bemidji State,’’ said Dennehy. “He’s a Minnesota kid.

“I had not seen Ben play, so we asked for some videotape. We’re watching the videotape and I asked one of my assistant coaches, ‘Which one is Ben?’ I was hoping he was No. 24. He actually was No. 18. He’s a pretty good player, but then the question arose, ‘Well, who is No. 24 and why are we not recruiting him?’ ’’

Dennehy was impressed not only by Da Costa’s skill set but his ability to make plays the coach said are very difficult to teach.

“He’s just got a great feel for the conceptual part of the game, for space, for time, his head’s always on a swivel,’’ he said. “The game is moving a lot slower for him than it is for the rest of the players. He has incredible awareness.’’

When Dennehy decided to try to lure Da Costa to Merrimack, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy road. Da Costa isn’t fluent in English, and to get into the school, he would have to pass both the GED and the ACT in English. That process lasted 14 months. Da Costa became eligible beginning with the third game of the season. His performance against Army was just his second collegiate contest.

“Because of the French transcripts and everything else, I don’t know how many people wanted to go through that process,’’ said the coach. “For us, we need to find blue-chip players, and so sometimes we have to take some chances.

“Athletically, he wasn’t a chance at all. He really wasn’t a chance intellectually, either. He’s a really bright kid. It was just a matter of jumping through some logistical hoops to get him cleared by the NCAA, and it was to our benefit.’’

Da Costa is finding everything about college a new experience - a different country, a different language, a different level of hockey.

“He hasn’t really been as involved in the strength-and-conditioning program until this year,’’ said Dennehy. “He’s embraced it. He’s one of our hardest workers in the weight room.’’

Lost in the wake of Da Costa’s dazzling outing was the contribution of another freshman, 20-year-old John Heffernan, who played on Da Costa’s right wing and had an assist. Dennehy said he’s excited about the Scituate native’s potential after a successful year with the Bridgewater Bandits of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

Heffernan, a former Globe All-Scholastic and BC High standout, is the nephew of former Northeastern star Kevin Heffernan, who was drafted by the Bruins in the ninth round (No. 186 overall) in 1984.

“For whatever reason, Heff and Stephane [have chemistry],’’ said Dennehy. “They just seem to play off each other pretty well. For [Heffernan], it was just getting stronger and learning to compete a little bit because he was so much better than everyone else at the levels he’s played at.

“I’ve been really impressed by his strength. The year he spent with Bridgewater paid dividends. He can handle the puck, he can see the ice, and he can do some things that I can’t teach. He did the work.’’

If the run of strong play continues, look for increased interest in Merrimack.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell can be reached at marrapese@globe.com.