STONY BROOK ‘ The only thing ‘heated’ about Saturday’s showdown between Stony Brook and Binghamton University was the men’s room.

Senior Day for the Seawolves at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium was a rematch of the 2005 Championship game, a contest that saw top-seeded Stony Brook topple SUNY rival Binghamton in penalty kicks after erasing a 1-0 deficit with less than four minutes remaining.

For Stony Brook, Saturday was also a chance to knock off the first-place Bearcats, a solid team with one glaring weakness: an 0-3 in-conference road record.

But with Lambeau-like conditions scaring off much of the Seawolves’ faithful, this long-awaited rematch was played in front of about three dozen fans ‘ and about two dozen substitutes.

Those in attendance enjoyed a hard-fought, surprisingly well-played game. Those following along at home on StatTracker enjoyed full use of their fingers and toes for the remainder of the weekend.

As you might expect in November on Long Island’s North Shore, it was cold, rainy and miserable. Most of the few fans at the game sat under the stadium’s mezzanine level, sheltered from the near-freezing conditions that tortured both teams’ substitutes for 90 minutes.

And at halftime, the bathroom became a gathering area for just about every man in the stadium. In an unusual sight, the six urinals, three stalls and three sinks went almost untouched for almost 10 minutes ‘ the gaggle of guys in attendance simply stood around and defrosted, joking about gameplay and their ‘crazy’ night before. (Say it with me: ‘Jager bombs. Jager bombs. Jager bombs.’ How I’ve missed Long Island.)

We got a collective laugh when a fellow fan pointed out the facility’s thermostat, which had been set to 90 degrees. (I’ll be honest: we needed every one of them.)

Luckily for the fans (and the Bearcats, who played against the wind in the second half), the severe weather let up a little after the break. The high level of game play did not.

Despite having to play its goal kicks against 12 opponents ‘ 11 Seawolves and one Mother Nature ‘ the Bearcats continued to prove why they’re the top seed going into this week’s America East conference tournament. They controlled the midfield with relative ease, burying the Seawolves in a tempest of precipitation and patience.

It’s a shame, however, that the well-played game was played in front of less than 50 people. Of course, I’m glad I was one of them, but the best is yet to come.

That’s because the ‘Cats, your lovable Bearcats, are coming home to their own friendly confines, in front of a fan base that’s not afraid to brave a little bit of rain. It could be negative 40 degrees next Wednesday and the BU faithful will be here, chests painted, flasks filled and chants compiled. Head coach Paul Marco even promised me yesterday he’d personally purchase, out of his own pocket, some pizzas for the ever-loyal ‘Hooligans.’

With this first road win, the Bearcats guaranteed they wouldn’t need a second to make it back to the AE Championship game. And with the No. 1 team and best home crowd in the conference, look out, America East ‘ Binghamton won’t need a thermostat to turn up the playoff heat.

See you next Wednesday.