Now, the two teams will meet again in the CCHA Quarterfinals at Munn Ice Arena with a trip to Joe Louis Arena on the line.

The best-of-three series starts at 7:35 p.m. tonight.

Senior defenseman Daniel Vukovic said he’s “pretty happy” about the matchup.

“We have a bad taste from the last time we played them,” he said. “I definitely want some revenge in that series. I think it’s going to be a good matchup. They have a good goalie, a good team and work hard, but I think we match up fine against them.”

Head coach Rick Comley echoed those sentiments.

“They’ve had a really good second half,” he said.

“From Christmas on, they’ve been very, very good. We had fits with them up there in February, but I think they’re a real good opponent and the two teams will compete.”

Although the Spartans haven’t played since a March 1 win at Bowling Green, the Wildcats are fresh off an opening round win against Ohio State. After falling 4-3 in the opening game, they bounced back with 4-2 and 6-1 victories.

“Now you’re playing a team that’s coming off a playoff win,” Comley said. “They have momentum, they’re active, and we have to hope the week off didn’t hurt us.”

Northern Michigan goaltender Brian Stewart was key in the two wins. He stopped 25 shots Saturday and followed that with a 35-save performance Sunday.

Junior forward Justin Abdelkader said the team will look to take advantage of rebounds that the 6-foot-4-inch Stewart seems prone to giving up.

“If we get him moving a little bit and put some shots on him, I think we’ll get a lot of rebounds and have second-chance opportunities to put them in.”

Getting the shots to the net could be a problem, though. The Wildcats frustrated the Spartans in Marquette with their ability to block shots — they totaled 45 blocks in two games. By comparison, MSU blocked 21 shots.

“It wasn’t like they were blocking them with their knee pads or sticks in the lanes or off their skates,” Abdelkader said. “They just found a way to block them. We have to work on getting shots through.”

The teams split the season series — with each team sweeping on home ice.

But Comley said he doesn’t place much emphasis on either series.

He discredits the first because the Wildcats were still so young, and the second because his team was “awful.”

“We won’t carry much negative over from that,” he said.

Saturday’s game faces off at 7:05 p.m., and Sunday’s game, if necessary, also will start at 7:05 p.m.