It’ll be hockey heaven at Kasabuski Rink in Saugus

SAUGUS – Kasabuski Arena will become a puck heaven for fans of North Shore high school hockey beginning on Tuesday as the 2010 Kasabuski Christmas Classic will feature 10 of the area’s top teams, including the likes of Division 1 powers Malden Catholic and St. Mary’s.The tournament annually draws big crowds to see outstanding action and this year sets up to be no different as the Lancers come into the year as one of the favorites to win a Super 8 championship while St. Mary’s is looking to climb into that elite group after reaching the Division 1 North final last season.MC will take on St. Bernard’s Tuesday at 5 in one Division 1 semifinal while St. Mary’s and Austin Prep will meet in the final of five games on Tuesday in the other D1 semi. The game also will count towards both teams record in the Catholic Central League/Large standings.The Division two portion of the tournament has undergone several changes this season, insuring plenty of entertainment for all those in the crowd.Saugus and Lynnfield are the two returning teams to the field this season but they will have to deal with four new entries as Bishop Fenwick, Pentucket, Danvers and Wakefield will comprise the rest of the six teams.The Crusaders and Falcons come in as the two hot teams in the field, both having picked up big early season wins. Saugus has tied its first three games while the Sachems and Pioneers are always contenders in the ever challenging Cape Ann League.Saugus will take on Pentucket at 11 a.m. to being the day’s festivities. Lynnfield and Fenwick will be on second and Wakefield-Danvers follows at 3.With six teams in the tournament, several contengencies are in place to help decide which teams will play for the Division 2 title at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.The three winning teams will be seeded in terms of goal differential with the team with the best differential being first and taking on the next best team in the finals. The third team will take on one of the losing teams from Tuesday.If the goal differential is identical, the next tiebreaker is fewest penalty minutes assessed in the game and a coin flip will be used if all else fails to break a tie.The Division 1 final will follow at 7 p.m. to finish the two day extravaganza.uLynnfield tuned up for its appearance in the tournament Friday with an 8-1 win over Amesbury.Matt Kelly and Alex Ganter had two goals apiece while Dylan Costa, John Festa, Craig Anderson and Chris Lang scored singletons.