Only a week after their last confrontation, Colgate and Vermont will clash again tonight.

Last weekend, their game meant the difference between fourth and fifth place in the regular season standings. More importantly, it meant the difference between a short walk and a long ride. Vermont's win let the Catamounts stay at home and host the two-game ECAC quartefinal series. Colgate found itself taking another bus ride to Burlington.

"The town is really excited for [the games]," Vermont Coach Mike Gilligan said. "We would rather be here than there. It's nice to be playing in front of our fans."

"Sure, we would have liked to have had home ice," says Colgate Coach Terry Slater. "It gives you a one- or two-goal advantage. Vermont is a very excitable place to play and it will be filled."

But of all the teams in the ECAC, Colgate knows that home ice does not assure of a trip to Boston Garden. Last year, the team entered the quarterfinals seeded second and played host to seventh-seeded RPI. After the two games and a third mini-game, the underdog Engineers were on their way to the Garden and Colgate stayed in Hamilton, N.Y.

Spearheading Vermont's offensive charge is Ian Boyce (14 goals, 20 assists, 34 points) and Toby Ducolon (12-18--30). Ducolon scored twice against the Red Raiders in the first meeting and Boyce put in the game winner last weekend.

Colgate, with the second most productive offense in the ECAC, is led by Captain Rejean Boivin. Boivin ranks third in ECAC scoring (19-16--35). Both Mike Bishop (8-20--28) and Joe Gardner (7-21--28) are among the top 12 ECAC scorers.

"[The teams are] so evenly matched that it could be a toss- up," Gilligan said. "We want to keep some speed going."

"When you have two evenly-matched teams," Slater said, "the goalkeeper will make the difference. I think [Colgate's Wayne Cowley] is the best goalkeeper in the East."

Cowley a league-high .915 save percentage and 2.81 goals-against average.

However, nothing should be taken away from Vermont's freshman goalkeeper, Mike Millham (.884 save pct., 2.76 g.a.a.). After all, last weekend he shut down Colgate's attack and put the Red Raiders back on the bus.