A national tournament game only makes a hot rivalry even hotter.

That will be the scenario when No. 5 Ohio University plays No. 4 Penn State (22-5-1) in the opening round of the American Collegiate Hockey League National Championship at 7:30 tonight in the Ice Pavilion. It is the Bobcats' most important game since it last played the Icers, in the Nittany Lion Invitational on Jan. 24.

The Bobcats won that game 5-4 in overtime to hand Penn State its first opening-round loss in the Invitational ever. That game gives Ohio confidence heading into tonight's game.

"The biggest factor for our kids is that we know now that it is possible to beat Penn State, " said Ohio Coach Robb Wade. "Up to that point, that was certainly the best game we had played all year. We have a young team and now realize that if we play at the top of our games, we can beat Penn State."

The rivalry goes back well before the January matchup. The two teams have a 7-7 head-to-head record dating back to 1982. 10 of the 14 games have been decided by one goal with five overtime decisions.

"At least its an opponent that we've seen before, so we know something about them," said Penn State Coach Joe Battista. "The rivalry has been intense for a number of years. It should make for an exciting opener for both teams."

Ohio has played erratically since the Invitational, going 4-4.

"We've been on somewhat of a rollercoaster," Wade said. "We've played some excellent games and then we've played games where we haven't been that sharp. Our guys have been looking forward to this week since we got the invitation (to the tournament). They have had a hard time concentrating in recent games."

For their rematch with the Icers, Ohio must have several things go their way to have a chance to win. Penn State outshot them 48-20 in the first game. The Bobcats must control the Icers' transition game and their power play. They also must take advantage of scoring opportunities and hope for a their goalie to be hot, Wade said. Netminder Mike Klecar turned in a spectacular performance in the teams' first meeting, stopping 44 shots.

Besides playing Penn State, Ohio must play No. 1 Michigan-Dearborn on Thursday and No. 8 Navy on Friday.

"This is probably the toughest nationals there has ever been," Wade said. "Everyone has a good chance to win. Our realistic goal is to win two out of the three games."