March is coming in like a lion, but it’s never been a lamb as far as what goes on in sports – locally, regionally, or nationally.

And this year is no exception.

Let’s give you a list that you can check more than twice to keep up:

SUNDAY, MARCH 5

Thanks to the snow, today is one of the busiest days of the high school winter season with quarterfinals in Division II girls and Division I boys basketball, as well. There could be all sorts of intriguing matchups in boys hoop, including the possibility of Nashua South vs. Bishop Guertin. Plus Hollis Brookline and Milford in Division II girls hoop quarters.

The hockey playoffs start for the local boys teams with the quarterfinals, which means home game tonight for Merrimack and today for Hollis Brookline-Derryfield.

For the pros, the Celtics and Knicks tangle at TD Garden. Hopefully for C’s fans Jayson Tatum won’t get booted out of this one. Celtics can’t lose two in a row at the Garden to the two New York teams, can they? Nah.

MONDAY, MARCH 6

Only one game locally, and it’s a big one — Bishop Guertin boys hockey in the Division I quarters in a matinee at Skate 3. See you at 3:30.

TUESDAY, MARCH 7

You’ll want to zip up to Everett Arena in Concord at 5 p.m. for the Bishop Guertin girls hockey team in the semis agains one of only two teams to beat them this season, Bishop Brady-Londonderry-Trinity. If you’re daring, then you can zip over to Londonderry for the girls basketball semis because the Cards will be there for a 7:30 p.m. game vs. Goffstown.

This day is also the deadline day for NFL teams to attach the franchise tag to a player. It won’t impact the Patriots, though. It’s also the first day colleges can have Pro Days.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8

Five words: Boys basketball and hockey semifinals. Teams and sites to be determined for Division I hoop, and for hockey we know that the Division I semifinals will be at JFK Coliseum in Manchester. Merrimack, if it wins tonight, already knows it will play No. 1 St. Thomas at 5 p.m. at Everett Arena. Bishop Guertin, if it wins, would be at JFK at 7:30 p.m. And if the HBDS Warriors win in their quarterfinal, they’ll be up at Plymouth State at 5 p.m. vs. Belmont-Gilford.

SATURDAY, MARCH 11

Hello, hockey finals. Times to be determined but you can bet it’s four games at Manchester’s SNHU Arena at 10, 12:15, 2:30 and 5 p.m. for, in some order, the Division I, II and III boys finals plus the girls. Will the area have a team there? We’ll find out soon.

And before bedtime, don’t forget to spring those clocks forward.

SUNDAY, MARCH 12

Oh, this is also a biggie: It’s the Division I and II boys and girls hoop finals at the University of New Hampshire, times to be determined. If you go by last year, the first game was at 10, the second at around noon or 12:30, the third around 4 and the final game close to 7 p.m. Should be quite a day, and the guess here is the area will have a team in at least three of the four. We won’t say which ones.

It’s also Selection Sunday for the biggest college sporting event of the year: The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness.

MONDAY, MARCH 13

Fasten your seat belts, have your phone alerts ready, and check twitter early and often: It’s the first day teams are allowed to negotiate with NFL unrestricted free agents, the so called tampering period. That basically means they come to an agreement, but they can’t sign on the dotted line until 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 15. How busy will the Patriots be? They’ll clear out some cap space, most likely, and try to sign some mid-level free agents. As it stands now,there are no stud receivers available this year in free agency, so if the Patriots want one, they’ll have to get one via trade. If they’re released during the next couple of weeks, they won’t have to wait for free agency to sign them.

THURSDAY, MARCH 16

And so it begins: The Madness. Yes, there’s the First Four the previous two days, but still, this is the day every bar is packed and offices are nearly empty; the NCAA hoop regionals begin. It continues Friday and then the weekend to determine the Sweet Sixteen.

MONDAY, MARCH 20

Hard to believe, and it will be here before you know it – the first day of local high school spring sports practices for most teams. Nothing like watching baseball, lacrosse and softball teams work out at Stellos with snowbanks in the background, but that could be the case if March stays like a Lion for a couple of weeks. Just give us that February weather, right?

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

Speaking of which, the Sweet Sixteen begins.

SUNDAY, MARCH 26

The Bruins are at the Carolina Hurricanes in a battle of division leaders and, if you feel Tampa has slipped, a battle of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. Boston looks really good for the Cup Finals, doesn’t it?

Also, it’s the final two Regional Finals to determine the Final Four. The other two are on the day before, Saturday. Good stuff.

SUNDAY, MARCH 26

It’s the first day of the annual NFL league meetings in Phoenix – that includes owners, coaches and general managers. It’s usually the first period Patriots coach Bill Belichick is available to the media whether it be usually Monday or Tuesday. A press conference about nothing. Remember last year? When asked who was going to call plays, Belichick said they weren’t playing any games soon so don’t worry. Yup.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30

Opening Day! Yes, baseball that counts in March. It was supposed to be this way last year but got delayed due to the lockout. Your Boston Red Sox open up at Fenway Park with a 2:10 p.m. game vs. the team they finished behind a year ago, those tough Baltimore Orioles.

Yes, the Fenway Opener in March. Whose bright idea was this?

That night, the Boston Celtics are at the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m., the battle between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference and perhaps a regular season preview of the conference finals.

There’s your month of March, fans. Enjoy. Spring will be here before you know it.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.

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