Hockey tournaments abound next week

It will be a busy week for North Shore hockey diehards as four tournaments and 12 area teams will give fans plenty to take in during the week after Christmas.The marquee event will be the Kasabuski Christmas Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday as eight local teams comprise the field in the Division 1 and 2 tournaments.The tourney kicks off with four games on Tuesday as Saugus meets Wakefield at 11; Danvers plays Lynnfield at 1; St. Mary’s takes on Austin Prep at 3 and Malden Catholic faces Fenwick in the nightcap at 5.The D2 semis feature a North finalist in the Sachems and a Wakefield team that upended St. Mary’s in the D1 North finals a year ago. The Falcons and Pioneers will be a rematch of a North preliminary round game taken by Danvers in overtime last winter.St. Mary’s and Austin will meet for the first of their two meetings this season while the Crusaders have a tall order in the No. 1 ranked Lancers.New to the schedule this year is the Lynn Christmas Tournament at Connery Rink, hosted by the Lynn Jets on Tuesday and Wednesday.The semifinals begin at 6:30 with Northeast/Malden taking on Everett followed by Lynn and Salem at 8:30 [/,/. The consolation and finals are at the same times on Wednesday.Swampscott has been a pleasant surprise in the early season and the Big Blue will also be in action during vacation week as they look to defend their title at the East Boston Deep Freeze Tournament at Porazzo Rink.The Big Blue have St. Clement’s in the semis on Tuesday (8:30) with the finals on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m..The winners of the semifinal games will play on Tuesday at 3 in the D2 final and at 5 in the D1 finals.The other tournament with a decidedly local flavor begins on Monday at Talbot Rink as the Cape Ann Savings Bank classic features Beverly, Triton, Marblehead and host Gloucester.The Panthers and Vikings will meet in the first semi at 6 p.m. with the Magicians taking on Gloucester immediately following at 8. The consolation and finals are on Tuesday (6 and 8).