Senior forward A.J. White scored a goal in the first period against Rensselaer Friday night at the Tsongas Center. (George DeLuca/Connector)

The River Hawks flat out sent a message to the rest of Hockey East on Friday night.

In what was nothing short of a dominating performance, the UMass Lowell men’s hockey squad defeated RPI 3-0 in front of a deafening home crowd at the Tsongas Center. The UMass Lowell student section represented their team flawlessly, providing the energy the home team needed to get out to a fast start.

“I have no question in my mind that the crowd was a big big part of tonight’s game,” said UML head coach Norm Bazin. “You play at home and you have that type of student crowd, it’s second to none. The guys just feel the energy.”

If setting the tone was the key for the River Hawks coming into the game, they certainly succeeded. UML physically dominated RPI in the first period of play. They out shot the Engineers 15-7, and were flying up and down the ice with a certain flare most certainly brought on by the allure of opening day.

RPI goalie Jason Kasdorf did well to quell the early UML surge, but eventually let one by thanks to A.J White. The senior out of Dearborn, Michigan tallied eight goals for the River Hawks last year, and wasted no time getting this season off to fast start. The goal came just four minutes into the game and displayed the River Hawks dominate physicality. White snuck the puck past Kasdorf after he won a scrum in front of the net with an RPI defender.

UML padded their lead late in the first when Junior Evan Campbell put home a powerplay goal with just 32 seconds left. The dynamic forward was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers, but is back for another season at UMass Lowell.

“I was coming around the net and tried to wrap it around,” said Campbell on his goal. “I got a fortunate bounce off of the goalies skate.”

It was a clear display of speed for the River Hawks on Friday night. The squad seemed to fly by RPI defenders all night, and were the first to coral numerous pucks dumped into their offensive zone.

That speed was not only beneficial to the River Hawks offense, but gave them a boost defensively. UML was a perfect five for five on the penalty kill, and it seemed RPI did not even sniff the net during the man advantage.

RPI’s best chance came with two minutes left in the second period. The Engineers sustained pressure in the River Hawk zone for over a minute, but every shot was turned away by senior shot stopper Kevin Boyle.

Boyle had a .915 save percentage as the teams starter last season while posting an 18-9-6 record. He started out the 2015 campaign the best a goalie can. RPI applied more offensive pressure throughout the third period, but Boyle was there to turn away all 27 shots he faced en route to the shutout.

“It was a great effort,” said Bazin on his goalie. “Anytime you get a shutout in college hockey it’s a heck of an effort. I thought it was a team shutout as much as it was a Kevin Boyle shutout, but he kept his composure all the way through.”

Co-captain Michael Kapla and sophomore defensemen Tyler Mueller were a huge part of the River Hawk defense. Both played big minutes on the night, and Kapla got down to block numerous shots. While UML did their job defensively, the story of the night was the River Hawks impressive offensive showing.

UML sent a total of 38 shots on net, and would have posted more goals if not for the stellar play of Jason Kasdorf. One of those shots was a wrister by senior forward Adam Chapie that found the back of the net just two minutes into the second period. Chapie had a team high 19 assists last season, and displayed his complete offensive repertoire with his early second period goal.

The River Hawks will rest easy knowing they started their season off right, but they will also take extra pride in knowing they got coach Bazin win number 100 in his tenure at UML. A congratulatory message on the jumbo tron at the end of the game confirmed the accomplishment.

“You don’t pay too much attention to those type of things when you’re behind the bench,” said Bazin on the achievement. “You’re trying to focus on the game, and hopefully I’m around for a couple more.”

Bazin will have to wait until next Friday for win 101 against Colorado College.