Some thoughts and notes from the opening day of men’s college hockey practices.

— Union sophomore forward Luke Cain answered a lot of questions during Saturday’s Garnet-White scrimmage at Messa Rink.

Yes, the right tibia is fine. Yes, he is skating well. Yes, he delivered checks. Yes, he took hits without fear.

All that adds up to good things for the Dutchmen.

Cain broke his right tibia last Nov. 9 at Dartmouth. The season-ending injury was gruesome. His right foot was bent at a 90-degree angle.

But from the moment he stepped on the ice at the start of the scrimmage, he was fired up. He delivered a hit on Jason Walters 13 seconds into the game.

Cain is expected to be one of the top offensive contributors for the Dutchmen. He showed a glimpse of that last year, getting two goals and an assist in seven games.

“I feel very comfortable out there,” Cain said. “There’s no hes­itation from me. There’s still some little things in the game, since I haven’t played hockey for so long, that need to come. But overall, I don’t feel scared out there. I don’t even think about the leg when I’m playing. I’m looking forward to a good year.”

— Union senior defenseman Lane Caffaro was named a “player to watch” by the College Hockey News.

— RPI senior forward Matt Angers-Goulet was named team captain Saturday by coach Seth Appert. The assistants are senior forward Seth Klerer and junior defenseman Peter Merth.

— Freshman Alex Angers-Goulet, Matt’s brother, lifted a shot over the glove of Mathias Lange to give the White team a 3-2 shootout win over the Red at Houston Field House.