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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- Senior goaltender Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) registered 34 saves to lead the No. 7 UMass Lowell Hockey team to a 1-1 tie at No. 19 Merrimack College on Friday night at Lawler Arena in the Hockey East opener for both clubs.

Sophomore C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) got the River Hawks on the board first just 1:26 into the opening period on a break away for his first goal of the season beating Merrimack goaltender Colin Delia. Sophomore defenseman Chris Forney (Thief River Falls, Minn.) picked up the helper on Smith's tally. Just before the Smith goal, senior goaltender Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) made a great glove save to stop a shot by Chris LeBlanc.

Merrimack's Ben Bahe tied the game just 3:36 into the second period on a second chance opportunity off a rebound.

With 3:21 remaining in the third period, Boyle made a huge save on Hampus Gustafsson.

The River Hawks were a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, but went 0-for-4 with the man advantage. Senior forward Michael Fallon (Glenview, Ill.) won nine of 14 faceoffs (64%) in the game.
 
The River Hawks close out their weekend Hockey East series with Merrimack College on Saturday, October 24^th for their 7pm Homecoming Game from the Tsongas Center.

Tickets for all River Hawks home hockey games are on sale now. Game tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65+) and military, and $12 and children (12 and under). UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the "River Hawk Rewards" campaign. Tickets can be purchased at the Tsongas Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week. Fans can also purchase tickets online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.The UMass Lowell Athletic Department is also selling season, mini-pack and group tickets at this time. Packages can be purchased online at TsongasCenter.com or by contacting Christine Maurais (christine_maurais@uml.edu; 978-934-2181) or Ryan Leach (ryan_leach@uml.edu; 978-934-6280).