January. Ugh.

Really, it’s worse than November, which at least has Thanksgiving.

But we have at least a little bit of a cure for the January Blahs, so maybe you can replace them with January Hurrahs:

The month’s sports dates of note. OK, we’re a few days into the month, but here goes:

SATURDAY, JAN. 4

If you’re just seeing this there’s likely still time to head down to Skate 3 in Tyngsborough, Mass. to see the season opener for the Bishop Guertin girls hockey team. Yes, the Cards had an earlier opener rescheduled so they’ve been champing at the bit to get going and will face Concord at 5:10 p.m., and the 1-2 Tide already have three games under their belt.

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

It’s the swan song for the 2024 season for the New England Patriots a few days into 2025 as they host the Buffalo Bills, presumably as of this writing at 1 p.m. but who knows as of this writing with the NFL screwing around with the last couple of weeks, first moving the Pats-Chargers to last Saturday. The Bills won’t be playing for the No. 1 seed, so this one could be the ultimate snoozer or a Drake Maye Day to send you a little happy into next season.

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

We jump right into the local basketball season with a Nashua South at Alvirne boy-girl doubleheader, a good idea. The girls game is at 5:30 in the C.J. Steckovitz Gym, with the boys game right after around 7. Alvirne may be the area’s best Division I girls team,while South has that honor (so far) for the boys. This one will be good, both games.

Also on this night, the Rivier women’s basketball team takes on Elms at the Muldoon Center in their GNAC opener. No, don’t yawn. There’s an outside chance that Raiders star Lyric Grumblatt could become the school’s all-time leading career scorer. Outside. If not, it may have to happen on the road at Emmanuel.

THURSDDAY-FRIDAY JAN. 9-10

The College Football Playoff semis, with Penn State vs. Notre Dame on Thursday and Texas vs. Ohio State Friday. Looks like Ryan Day’s Buckeyes may be the best team left, right?

SATURDAY JAN. 11

…Or this day, a 2 p.m. game at the Muldoon vs. New England College. If she does it at home, it will bring the house down.

The men’s game will be pretty good as well at noon at the Muldoon.

TUESDAY, JAN.14

It’s Milford vs. Souhegan, basketball style. You’ll have to choose boys or girls, though, as the boys game is in Milford at 6:30p.m., and the girls are at Souhegan at 7 p.m. The rivalry has kind of dimmed from the old says, when it used to always be a doubleheader.

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

Locally, check out the best rivalry in local high school boys hockey other than the North vs. South co-ops: Bishop Guertin vs. Concord. The Tide make their annual visit to Skate 3 at 1:50 p.m.

Nationally, it’s the first day of what many feel is the best weekend of NFL football – the Divsional Playoff Round. Four games that take us a step closer to the Super Bowl. Remember this weekend, Patriot fans? Usually you used to have to trek down to Foxborough for a Saturday night game in frigid weather because the networks wanted Tom Brady in prime time. There were some good ones.Ah, the memories. Game times are 4:30, 8:15 p.m. on Saturday and 3, 6:30 p.m. on Sunday the 19th.

MONDAY, JAN. 20

It’s the CFP National Championship game in Atlanta. We say Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, and the Irish will likely get trounced.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

Boston Bruins at New Jersey Devils. Believe it or not, the Devils and their star, Jack Hughes, are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins seem to have partially bounced back from their early season dolddrums that has their former coach Jim Montgomery fighting an uphill battle in St. Louis.

THURSDAY, JAN. 23

Celtics at Lakers. Can you stay up? It’ll be a late start, 10:30 p.m., but it’s still the NBA’s best and most traditonal rivalry, and as of this writing the Lakers and LeBron were at least battling for the Pacific Division lead. It’s part of a four-game Western swing for Boston, hopefully breaking up those January blahs.

SUNDAY, JAN. 26

It’s Battle of the Bridge Week for some sports, and North vs.South boys and girls swimming begins it with a Sunday morning (9 a.m.) meet at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua. There are some great athletes on all four teams, check it out if you can.

Hey, good thing is it’s a morning meet, because then there’s plenty of time before the AFC-NFC Conference Championship Games. The NFC game is at 3 p.m., the AFC to follow at 6:30.

Then we will know who is in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. We say Philadelphia vs. Kansas City.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29

It’s the second of three meetings (the first was in the recent Backyard Brawl holiday tourney) between the Nashua South-Pelham and North-Souhegan boys hockey teams. Game time is 7:10 p.m. at Conway Arena, the place will be packed. But if you can’t get to this one, you have one more chance when they play each other again in almost a month, the night of Feb. 24.

Why do they have to have two great games on the same night? Locally in Division II it will be Alvirne-Milford vs. Merrimack-Hollis Brookline-Derryfield at 7:50 p.m. at Skate 3.

FRIDAY, JAN. 31

A great way to end the month with the annual Nashua North-South basketball doubleheader, the girls game at 5:30 and the boys to follow at 7. Who knows where these four teams will be at by that time, but one thing’s for sure – expect the unexpected. Last year, the North boys win over the Panthers stopped a losing streak and the Titans didn’t lose again until the Division I finals.

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