Five Games to Follow: Rematch in the Souhegan Valley

This week's games feature teams that are among their respective division's elite, and teams that are trying to figure out if they belong there as well.

With the first divisional playoffs scheduled to start in less than three weeks, and with a number of games from the last few weeks still needing to be made up, things are going to heat up both on the court and the ice. Here are local games to watch this week:

1. Milford at Souhegan boys basketball, Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Could the third time be the charm for the Sabers? Souhegan (6-1) has already lost to Milford twice this year - once in the Cheshire Tire Holiday Festival, once at Milford - and the Sabers haven't beaten their next-door neighbors since 2006. If Souhegan is going to pull out the win, it will mark the end of a busy week; the Sabers play at Con-Val on Tuesday and at Lebanon on Wednesday.

Milford (10-0) is coming off a narrow escape against Oyster River last Friday. The Spartans trailed by double digits in the fourth quarter before rallying to pull out a 61-60 win. That game was Milford's fourth in the last 10 days, and the Spartans will face John Stark on Tuesday before Friday's game. Souhegan has played just one game since Jan. 14, a 97-92 win over Goffstown last Tuesday.

Friday's game will be the second of a doubleheader, as the Milford and Souhegan girls will play the first game at 5 p.m. in Amherst.

2. Lebanon at Souhegan girls basketball, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.

The winner of this game should end up as either the No. 1 or 2 seed in the Division II tournament, as Lebanon (10-0) and Souhegan (8-0) are two of three remaining undefeated teams left in the division. Points could be hard to come by, as the Sabers have averaged 35.8 points allowed per game and Lebanon have given up just 28.3. The Raiders have allowed more than 30 points just three times this season, and have won every game by at least 17 points.

3. Spaulding at Nashua North boys basketball, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

The Titans (5-3) are coming off a buzzer-beating win over Nashua South on Thursday, and face a tough week with games against Spaulding and Manchester Memorial. North will learn a lot about itself this week and if its going to get a top-eight seed in Division I, it needs to win a few games against teams like Spaulding (6-3). The Raiders started the year with five wins in their first six games, but since beating Bishop Guertin in overtime, Spaulding has lost two of three, including an 81-66 loss to Dover last Friday.

4. Merrimack at Dover boys hockey, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Merrimack (10-0) continues to distance itself from the rest of Division II, and the Tomahawks will have another chance to do that this week. Merrimack already has one win this season over Dover (6-3) - a 3-2 win on Jan. 8 - and another would stretch the Tomahawks lead. The game could be a defensive struggle, as Merrimack has allowed an average of 1.7 goals per season and Dover has three shutouts on the year.

5. Pinkerton at Bishop Guertin girls basketball, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

The number to watch in this game is 50. When the Cardinals (7-4) give up more than 50 points, they don't win. In their seven wins, Bishop Guertin hasn't allowed more than 43 points, while the Astros (9-1) average 50.4 points. Bishop Guertin has been up and down all season, starting 3-0 before losing three of four. Since then, the Cardinals have gone 3-1.