BUFFALO — All things considered, Friday was a good day for the Bruins much-maligned prospect pool.

Boston’s rookies outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ youngsters and came away with a solid 4-2 victory on the first day of the Prospects Challenge as Luke Toporowski and Brett Harrison scored two goals each. (It would have been 4-1 if the referees hadn’t somehow missed the most obvious example of goalie interference you’re ever going to see on Pitt’s second goal.)

OK, like the Bruins, the Penguins kids don’t get much respect from the prospects gurus, but I’m giving credit where it’s due. The Bruins – from free agent goalie William Rousseau (19 saves) on out — were good.

“I loved the compete on some of the younger guys,” said coach Ryan Mougenel.

Here are three quick hits from Day One in Buffalo:

BRETT HARRISON

The 20-year-old Harrison, playing left wing on a line centered by Matthew Poitras, was around the puck all day. He scored on a redirection of a Poitras pass in the first period and smoked a one-timer off a Frederic Brunet pass for a power play goal in the third period.

“I love to shoot the puck. A shot on net is always a good play, whether you score a goal or it creates a rebound, but if the shot’s not there, I can make the right play to my teammates,” said Harrison.

He made a good dish to Poitras off the wall in the Penguins zone for a Grade A opportunity in the second period.

“He did a lot of great things,” said Mougenel. “The one thing with Harry is he sees the power play very well and he’s had a lot of success on the power play, especially in junior. We’re going to count on him to provide offense five on five (in Providence). Getting inside and completing plays, those are things he’s got to work on.”

LUKE TOPOROWSKI

Toporowski, a shoot-first left winger, scored twice in the Prospects Challenge opener a year ago and he did it again on Friday while playing on a line with Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell.

He opened the scoring 37 seconds into the game and potted a goal off a perfect pass from Merkulov in the second period after a slick offensive zone entry by Lysell.

“That’s what you get when you play with (Merkulov),” Toporowski said.

He started strong in Providence last season while playing on an AHL contract, but went down with a knee injury in January.

“During the injury, I just tried to stay positive and remind myself that I can pick up where I left off,” he said.

He spent a lot of time during his rehab working on his shot with teammate Vinni Lettieri at Rhode Island’s Top-Shelf Off-Ice, which is owned by Rodney Millette.

“Vinni was a great mentor for me. He’s been through it,” Toporowski said.

Once Toporowski, 22, returned to the lineup, he scored in his first two games.

Boston signed him to an NHL deal over the summer.

“It was reassuring that the Bruins still believed in me even though I had that injury,” he said.

Mougenel calls Toporowski a student of the game.

“There’s something to be said for identifying players like that who have a thirst to get better. I think our scouting staff has done a great job of finding players like that,” he said.

MATTHEW POITRAS

Poitras, a shifty center with a high hockey IQ, made plays all day long on Friday. He got on the score sheet with an assist on Harrison’s goal in the first period.

“I was really impressed not just with his play with the puck. It’s a little bit of a coaching cliché – how good he is away from the puck. He’s got great vision. He completes a lot of plays, has tons of courage. I think he’s going to be a very good player,” said Mougenel.

Poitras, 19, took a couple of big hits and dished one out, too. While he’s not expected to make the big club out of training camp this year, he’s a player who is on track to earn an NHL job before too long.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Mougenel on his message to prospects:

“You want people saying the right things about you. There’s limited viewings of players at times, especially with all the brass. If you can leave a really strong impression, especially going into camp, that’s really important. I stress to them that every time you get an opportunity to build your brand, it’s important that you play the right way. It might be something as small as hunting the puck on the backcheck. Maybe (Don Sweeney or Jim Montgomery) sees that and he takes a shine to you. Sometimes that (gets overlooked) when talk about goals and assists.”