A revised and reconditioned varsity hockey team will open a weekend Vermont schedule tonight when it takes part in dedicating a new ice rink at Norwich College in Northfield, Vt.

After its first solid week of practice this season, the Crimson, with completely new defense units, is highly favored to score its first victory of the year over the second-rate Cadets.

Thus, tomorrow night's match at Middlebury, Vt., will provide the sextet's only real test this weekend. Coach Cooney Weiland's squad, still mindful of its loss to Providence last week, will face one of the season's biggest spoilers in Duke Nelson's Middlebury sextet.

Middlebury blanked Yale, 2-0, last Friday, the day before the Elis traveles to Troy, N.Y., to upset R.P.I., 4-3. The Panthers will also be trying to make up for their 3-0 loss at the Icehouse last season.

By all rights, the first official match at Norwich's Taylor War Memorial Rink (capacity 1500) should not be too much of a thriller. The Cadets have a fair goalie in Captain Bruce Gillies, an awe-some figure who stands six foot three in the nets and makes over 30 saves each game. But outside of Gillies, the Cadets will be counting mostly on spirit and the eternal desire to beat big-name Harvard.

Weiland said last night that this week's drills have made all the difference to his squad. It has also given him a chance to work out better offense and defense combinations and tonight he will use a completely revised lineup.

Linemen Bob Owen and Bob McVey will be the starting blue-line pair as part of a move to "add more zip to the Crimson's attack," Weiland said. Aggressive sophomore Paul Kelley will be on the first line beside Bob Cleary and Lyle Guttu.

Dave Vietze, who had missed early practices because of illness, will play next to George Higgenbottom and Dick Fischer on an all-sophomore second line. Improved Leslie Duncan will center a third line with Dick Reilly, Bill Collins Billy DeFord, or Dave Holmes.