CHESTNUT HILL — All good things must come to an end.
Merrimack College skated into Conte Forum last night unbeaten in five games. The Warriors left the victims of a 7-0 thrashing by eighth-ranked Boston College.
Freshman phenom Stephane Da Costa missed the first game since he was deemed eligible two games into the regular season with an undisclosed illness; he was a last-minute scratch.
"He'll be fine," said Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy. "He's day-to-day."
Da Costa's absence was noticeable. The Warriors mustered just 20 shots on net — they're averaging over 30 a game on the season — and didn't score a goal.¬ The Warriors had just 11 shots through two periods and just seven shot attempts all game came from in the slot.
"We're on a pretty good run," said BC head coach Jerry York. "Merrimack was without Da Costa, which took a lot of firepower and a lot of their game plan away from them. He's one of the top players in our conference and for him to not be in the lineup must have been a tough blow for them."
The Warriors trailed 4-0 at the end of the first period before Joe Cannata was replaced by senior Andrew Braithwaite in net. Cannata started all five games during the Warriors' unbeaten streak (4-0-1).
"I didn't think we did a good job coming out ready to play," Dennehy said. "(BC) won puck battles. Now we know what some other teams have felt like. We played a good team, who is playing well at home."
Merrimack still sits eighth in Hockey East, slated to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. The Warriors are in the middle of a crowded pack in a league in which third to ninth place is separated by just four points. The Warriors still very much control their own destiny. With last night's win, Boston College tied Merrimack's best home record in the country — 11-2 — and the Warriors finish the season with three of four games coming at Lawler Arena.
Merrimack will host Maine for two games this weekend, then a home-and-home series with last place Providence, who is already out of the playoff picture, to close the season.
"We are guaranteed four more games," Dennehy said. "What we do with those four games will determine if we get to play anymore."
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