AMHERST - Had Saturday's exhibition 3-2 loss to New Brunswick been a regular-season game, University of Massachusetts coach Don "Toot" Cahoon probably would have been more frustrated with both the result and his team's performance.

Instead, he's hoping the Minutemen used the game as a learning experience going into tonight's season opener against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 7 at the Mullins Center.

"You always want to play better and get the result," Cahoon said. "But we truly walked away from it with the knowledge of what immediately needs to be addressed and what might be the challenges for getting this team to play at the highest level."

Cahoon said he hopes his team's highest level is several notches above last year's overall 16-20-3 record and 10-14-3 Hockey East.

"We need to be grittier," he said. "We think of ourselves as pretty skilled and a really good skating team, but there's a time when you really have to roll it up, get dirty and make plays.

"I think we got away from that a little bit," Cahoon continued. "We have to be able to address that. We need to become a team that competes in all situations."

The Minutemen return their top two scorers from last season - junior James Marcou and Casey Wellman - and captain Brett Watson as well as eight other players who saw action in at least 25 games.

Marcou, who had 15 goals and 32 assists, is the leading returning scorer in Hockey East.

Named an assistant captain this season, his personal goals are simple.

"I just want to go out, make plays, put the puck in the net and lead by example," Marcou said.

"We've addressed all our issues. We've learned a lot from the last two years," he said. "We're going to focus on being consistent and try to make that next step in Hockey East."

While Marcou and Wellman will be looked on to lead the offense, the Minutemen will need increased contributions from several returning players. They include sophomore T.J. Syner, who will likely start the year on a line with Marcou and Wellman, juniors Mike Lecomte and Chase Langeraap, and senior Will Ortiz, whose production has dropped off each of the last three years.

Freshmen Rocco Carzo and Eddie Olczyk will get a chance to make an impact right away.

Senior defensemen Martin Nolet and Justin Braun return to anchor the defense, while sophomore Matt Irwin will try to build off his promising freshman year.

Doug Kublin and Michael Marcou, who were in and out of the lineup last year, will likely have a chance to play regularly, as will freshman Mike Donnellan, who played well in preseason.

Junior goalie Paul Dainton figures to be the Minutemen's No. 1 netminder for the third straight season.

UMass dominated the Engineers last year, winning 6-0 in Troy, N.Y. The loss was one of four straight by RPI to open the 2008-09 season which it finished with a 10-27-2 record.

The Engineers bring back their top four scorers, led by junior Chase Polacek, who had 11 goals and 21 assists last year.

FIRST FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON - Tonight's start means the Minutemen will be playing in the first college hockey game of the season for the second straight year.

In 2008, the Minutemen opened against Michigan State in the IceBreaker Tournament in a game that started at 4:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader, which made it the first of the season.

UMass is one of two games tonight. While the Minutemen are set to face off at 7 p.m., Quinnipiac at Ohio State is slated to begin at 7:05.

REPLAY - All Hockey East arenas are equipped for the use of replay this season. Replay will be used only to determine whether a goal should count.

It is up to the referee on the ice to call for a replay. In that case, a technician - at UMass in the press box - will send images to the referee who will review different angles on a monitor in the penalty box and make the decision.

Cahoon said he likes the addition.

"You want to get the goal right," Cahoon said. "That's the most important thing."

Cahoon also said that officials this season will emphasize eliminating face-washing, or a player putting his hands on the face of an opponent.

HENNESSEY DEBUT - The game marks the UMass debut of broadcaster John Hennessy on WRNX 100.9-FM, owned by Clear Channel Communications.

The former voice of the New Jersey Devils replaces Donnie Moorhouse, who now works for Entercom, a Clear Channel competitor.

Brock Hines, who started as the color commentator during the 1993-94 season when the Minuteman program was reinstated, returns for his 17th season.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.