Now, it’s time to get serious about winter sports

BY JOE PALLADINO New year? Forget the year, let’s talk about the new week.
If you thought that the winter sports season began in December, we can overlook that. Gulp down the last of the eggnog and get ready for the first big week of the season.
Today, we rest. We celebrate Jan. 1 on Jan. 2 this year. No, I can’t figure it out either, except, you will need to muster energy. It gets wild real fast.
Tuesday is the kind of day where you wish to be in seven places at the same time. All games tip at 7 p.m., unless noted.
Let’s start with the Berkshire League, where unbeatens clash everywhere. For the girls, its the game you wanted as 3-0 (in BL) Thomaston visits 4-0 (in BL) Lewis Mills. Is this THE game for BL girls? Well, it’s THE game thus far.
For the boys, it is time: Tuesday night unbeaten Mills is at unbeaten Thomaston, and later this week, currently unbeatens meet as Wamogo is at Northwestern. By the weekend, we’ll know all we need to know.
This is an important week for the Pomperaug girls, winners of three straight. The Panthers (4-2) are at Notre Dame-Fairfield (4-1) on Tuesday and home to Bethel (6-1) on Friday. Coach Joe Fortier said all along that Pomperaug was a team building toward the postseason. Here are two postseason-like games right now.
In hockey, a dandy arrives at Mays Rink at The Taft School on Wednesday when Watertown-Pomperaug hosts Cheshire (8 p.m.). Watertown-Pomperaug (4-1) has won four straight while the 2-1 Rams play unbeaten East Haven today (12:15 p.m. at Wesleyan) before meeting the Indians Wednesday.
OK, sorry, I held this back long enough: The divisional games begin in the Naugatuck Valley League, and that means the city games are back, and that means everyone’s blood pressure ticks up a notch or two.
It all gets crazy Tuesday when Sacred Heart plays at Holy Cross’ McDonald Gymnasium, on Generali Court. Both are unbeaten, and both have a lot of things going on Tuesday. Are the Hearts still the Hearts? Is Holy Cross ready to take a huge step forward in the NVL?
Also on Tuesday, Crosby, coming off a stinging loss to East Hartford, visits Waterbury Career Academy. The Bulldogs are 3-0 in the NVL, and so is WCA. This is what the Spartans have dreamed about for three seasons: Playing a city opponent in an NVL game, and, in an NVL game that matters.
The question here is simple: Is Career just the newest NVL school, or, yet another city team that will make city basketball even better?
This is an important week for Kennedy High too. The Eagles (3-0) are the team no one talks about. That could change, right now. Kennedy visits Wilby’s O’Brien Gymnasium on Tuesday, and then hosts Holy Cross at Taglia Gymnasium on Friday. Is this Kennedy’s time? We’ll find out soon.
By the way, you might also want to know that on Friday, Crosby is at Wilby, and Career meets the Hearts at Alumni Hall, as coach Ronan O’Leary leads the Spartans in his first NVL game against the school where he once coached.
And do we have a city girls basketball showdown looming? I believe so. On Friday the Kennedy girls visit Holy Cross. Both are unbeaten in the NVL, and along with St. Paul Catholic, the last unbeatens in the league.
It seems like old times with these three.
No disrespect to 2016, but that page is turned. The new year is here, and the new season gets serious.
Send comments to jpalladino@rep-am.com, and follow on Twitter at @RAOffTheRecord.