Cavs get ready for Nashua holiday classic

Friday, December 30, 2011

Take a close look at this week’s Nashua High Schools Hockey Holiday Classic, because it could be exhibit A in an argument for NHIAA ice hockey division reform.

Is that an exaggeration? Not really. When the puck drops on Thursday for the seventh annual event, it will be an interesting evaluation of how two above-average (and one exceptional) Division III teams rate versus two lower-tier Division I teams.

In fact, they’ve already scrimmaged each other. At 1:30 on Thursday at Conway Arena, Nashua North will take on Alvirne, the Broncos being one of the top teams in Division III. Right after that, a winless Nashua South team will take on 3-1 Hollis Brookline. The two teams scrimmaged to a 3-3 tie while Alvirne edged North slightly in a preseason scrimmage.

The winners advance to a 4:40 p.m. final on Friday, following a scheduled 2:30 consolation game. The Broncos, who will be able to put talented senior skater Phil Sweeney on display, should be the favorite.

“That’s what I hear,” Panthers coach John Vlachos said about the Broncos’ prowess. “I’m looking forward to it. For our team right now, this might be a nice way, maybe, that we could get a win. But I’m not saying anything about the competition. But when we played Memorial (last week), their top three lines were just as good as my first line.”

That’s the issue here, as the Panthers haven’t won a game in two years since capturing a contest in this tournament. It’s been scaled down over the last couple of years from six teams to four, and from three days to two, which is perfect for all involved. That South will be much more competitive, but not decidedly better than Hollis Brookline, a school two divisions down, says a lot about where the Panthers should be placed. And the same with a slightly better Nashua North team that is 2-2 overall, and 1-2 in Division I.

“I think it’s going to be as close as it’s been since I’ve been here,” said Nashua North coach Charlie Corey, whose team boasts one of the area’s better all-around athletes in senior Marc Lavine. “I think all four teams can win it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Remember, these games don’t count in the regular season, so how do you play them?

“Oh, full speed,” Corey said. “We play to win. It’ll be a challenge.”

But for a contender like Alvirne, the Broncos may have bigger rides to take.

“It keeps you playing (during the break), and we definitely want to win,” Alvirne coach Brian Gould said, “but not at all costs. We’ll put in a good effort. We scrimmaged North and it was close. It’s a Christmas tournament we’d like to win, but it’s not our main objective (for the season).”

Of course, Nashua fans would love to see a North-South final. The Titans beat the Panthers 4-1 in the season opener for both and don’t face each other again until late February in the regular season finale. It’s also possible they could meet in a consolation game.

“Certainly I think we can play North better than we did,” Vlachos said. “But this will be nice for our kids to be in a competitive couple of games.”

The key being couple, and not three or four.

“We don’t have the numbers to play three or four days,” Corey said. “And South has fewer numbers than we do. Maximize what’s best for the kids. A nice break, play some games, go.”

But watch the Broncos. The game against North will be very interesting.

“I know the kids will give it their all,” Gould said. “When they want to play, they can play.”

Mark the calendar

Alvirne and Hollis Brookline will end up seeing a lot of each other in the early going.

The Broncos beat the Cavs 7-4 in the final regular season game before the break, they could meet in the Nashua tourney, and they face each other next Wednesday at Skate 3 in Tyngsborough, Mass.

Meanwhile, other key games to start the winter grind on Wednesday include Manchester Memorial at Bishop Guertin in Division I, Bedford at Merrimack in Division II and the Pembroke-Campbell co-op squad at a team off to a great start, the 4-0 Souhegan Sabers.