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LOWELL, Mass. –The No. 11 ranked UMass Lowell Hockey team reached its fifth consecutive 20-win season after defeating the Massachusetts Minutemen, 4-2, Friday night, in front of 6,738 fans at the Tsongas Center in non-league play.
 
"I was pleased with the win and I thought we had the urgency for the bulk of the game," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "It is not easy to get 20 wins in a season and I am extremely proud of this group."
 
Senior goaltender Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) picked up his career-high 19th win in the outing, as UMass Lowell improves to 20-7-5 on the season. With the loss, Massachusetts falls to 8-20-4.
 
Sophomore forward C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) totaled a game-high two points (1g, 1a), while Boyle posted 30 saves in the outing.
 
The two teams skated into the first intermission knotted 0-0, despite a dominating offensive performance from the River Hawks. The home team out shot the Minutemen, 13-4, while tallying a 13-10 faceoff advantage.
 
UMass Lowell jumped out to a 2-0 lead six minutes into the second period, thanks to Smith and sophomore forward Ryan Collins (Newton, Mass.) who tallied their 14^th and fourth goals, respectively, of the season.
 
Sophomore forward John Edwardh (Calgary, Alberta) later extended the squad's lead, 3-0, at 17:37 in the second to notch his first goal of the season. The sophomore converted his first career short-handed goal, beating Massachusetts's goaltender Alex Wakaluk glove side.
 
Freshman Ryan Dmowski (East Lyme, Conn.) capped off the scoring for the River Hawks at 5:40 in the third period, after seizing a break away opportunity to give UMass Lowell the 4-0 lead.
 
Massachusetts managed to get two back in the third to cut the deficit, 4-2, but the River Hawks held on to grab the win as time expired, taking home the non-conference win.
 
Friday's contest marked the 76th meeting between the two University of Massachusetts system schools, as the River Hawks hold a strong 44-25-7 mark in the all-time series. UMass Lowell is back in action on Friday, February 26, when the squad visits the Conte Forum to take on Boston College for a 7 p.m. tilt.