Nashua North players celebrate their win ove South in last year's Nashua Christmas Tourney finals over rival Nashua South. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

‘Tis the season – the holiday tournament season.

And you won’t have to look far to find one. Eight local teams encompassing five schools are playing in the two-day Nashua Christmas Tournament that starts this current weekend at Nashua North, while other teams are out of town.

But in hockey, three local teams involving seven local schools (with co-ops) will be at Conway Arena beginning Monday for their annual three-day event, four teams again this year as many local tourney organizers keep things simple.

Here’s a look at what we know, best to check your favorite school’s web site, etc. for complete info. There are a couple of events tonight:

BASKETBALL

The main event will be the Nashua Christmas Tourney. Last year, the Milford Spartans were looking to get two trophies: One in December and one in March, and they went 2 for 2, as they’ll be back at the Nashua Tourney to defend their title – they’ve won it twice now since it returned in smaller four-team fashion, after the pandemic, in December of 2021 – at , taking on Nashua North on Saturday at noon while Alvirne faces Nashua South at 1:30. The finals will be on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Souhegan boys will take on Nashua South at 3 p.m. while host North faces Milford at 4:30.

The consolation games will be noon and 1:30 on Sunday with the finals at 3 and 4:30.

You never know what you’re going to see in these games. Last year North shocked South in the boys final.

“We’re excited,” South boys coach Nate Mazerolle. “It will be a great experince for the kids; we’re looking for kids who might assume a role that they haven’t yet.”

In the girls event, right now might label Nashua South as the favorite, with a 3-0 mark in the regular season.

“This tournament is a grat opportunity for us to keep growing make some small adjustments, and continue improving the fundamentals we’re working on every day,” Panthers coach John Bourgeois said. “It’s an awesome local event with really strong programs and great coaches, and we’re excited to be a part of it, compete, and keep building together.”

Other girls programs are headed out of town, with Souhegan going to the seacoast region at Farmington High School, site of the 46th annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash is slated to face Farmington at 7 p.m. on Friday, and then play Raymond 10:15 a.m. on Saturday. Sunday’s schedule depends on Saturday’s results; the semis are Monday and the finals on Tuesday at Farmington HS. With boys and girls, it’s a hoopapalooza with 28 teams from three divisions and 50 games. Souhegan last played this event in the early 1990s, losing in the finals in 1992 before winning it in 1993 with current North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart playing for the Sabers.

Bishop Guertin is headed to play in the Londonderry Christmas Tourney, facing Windham at 11 a.m.on Sunday and 5 p.m . Monday vs. Bishop Feehan.

Merrimack is playing in the Derryfield School Tourney, beginning with a game vs. Sanborn on Sunday at 4 p.m. and again on Monday, time/opponent tba.\

As for the boys, the area’s other three Division I teams will be busy. Alvirne will be playing in the Queen City Tournament at Manchester Memorial beginning this current weekend, kicking off the event Saturday morning vs. Pembroke at 10 a.m. Then games will be played Sunday and Monday, the finals on the latter day at 5 p.m.

Merrimack will be busy in the annual Westford (Mass.) Academy Winter Classic. The Tomahawks as the sixth seed vs. No. 3 Leominster to start it off Saturday at 2 p.m., then games are Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 29-30 (finals at 7:15 p.m.). Other teams include Groton-Dunstable, Haverhill, Fitchburg, Pelham, top seed Lowell and host Westford.

Bishop Guertin is returning to the Malden Catholic Christmas Classic, taking on host Bishop Guertin Saturday at 3 p.m. The tournament continues on Sunday with the consolation game at 1 p.m. and finals at 3.

Nashua South-Pelham’s Brendan Skelley tries to jam the puck past a sprawling Alvirne-Milford goalie Mason Komarek during last year’s Backyard Brawl holiday tourney at Conway Arena. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

HOCKEY

This unique four-team Conway Arena Backyard Brawl, the brainchild of former Hollis Brookline-Derryfield coach Joel Sanborn back in 2021 keeps being popular, with the four teams being Alvirne-Milford, Nashua North-South, Timberlane-Pelham and Merrimack-Hollis Brookline-Derryfield.

Technically, there’s no defending champion. The Nashua South-Pelham Kings, who won it last year, no longer exist as South and North have merged and Pelham, which only had a couple of players on the Kings last year anyway, are with Timberlane.

It starts on Monday at 1:40 p.m. with Alvirne-Milford taking on Timberlane-Pelham, and MHBDS facing Nashua at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday it’s Nashua vs. Timberlane Pelham (1:40), followed by A-M vs. MHBDS (3:20).

New Year’s Eve the fun begins at noon with MHBDS taking on Timberlane-Pelham, and Nashua facing Alvirne-Milford at 1:40.

It’s all round-robin, so the games are, as last year’s format is expected to be followed, two halves that last year were amended from 25 minutes to 22:30, and the standings are kept with a point system: a point for winning a half and winning the game. If there is a tie in an individual half, the teams split the point.

The tie breakers to determine a champion, in order, are goals against, goal differential, Penalty minutes, and a coin toss.

The tournament will give the four teams time to work on things, improve their depth, etc.

“For the Christmas tournament is where we really fix things,” Nashus co-coach Chris Zarlenga said. “It’s really about cleaning up what we need to do.”

The Bishop Guertin boys, meanwhile, for the first time in many, many years will be playing in-state. The Cards are playing in the Salem Christmas Tournament at the Salem Icenter this current weekend. They are slated to face Windham tonight at 7:50 p.m., Londonderry at 1:25 p.m. on Saturday, and Salem at 3:40 p.m. on Sunday.