NOTES: Every Sunday night, I'll take a look at the most interesting games on the schedule for the week ahead throughout Western Mass. This is not a complete list of games. ... Also, if you missed it, you can read my preseason preview rankings and teams here. ... As always, feel free to contact me at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com with questions, comments, etc.

The end of last week marked quite a start to the season, highlighted by the East Longmeadow-Amherst Regional WMass finals rematch at the Spartan Classic on Friday night. To say that the Hurricanes were impressive would be an understatement. They played extremely hard for coach Christal Murphy and showed that, despite losing four starters from last year's squad, they were still featuring the same hard-nosed determination that led to a 21-0 start in 2009-10. I was probably most impressed with Brianna Leonard, who did a nice job as a "glue" type of starter last year, but clearly took on much more of a leadership role, both in terms of scoring and rebounding.

I went into the season feeling like Division 1 was wide open. After Friday, it feels even more wide open. Obviously, there will be some serious changes to my top 10s when they are released Dec. 23.

Anyway, let's get to the Week Guide:

Monday, Jan 13
Northampton at Westfield - We get our first look at all of the Blue Devils newcomers I keep hearing about.
Lee at Sabis - Could easily be a WMass Division 3 championship preview.

Tuesday, Jan. 14
Agawam at West Springfield - Dana Theobald and Co. look to get Terriers back to tourney after missing out for first time in 7 years.
McCann Tech at Belchertown - Another team Brianna Del Valle will pose massive matchup problems for.
Southwick at Hampshire - Sarah Kober posted an 18-18 in the opener. What can she do for an encore?
Holyoke Catholic at Palmer - The Gaels start at Belchertown and then at Palmer? Ouch!
South Hadley at Granby - Both teams faced tough competition in their openers. This should be a better measuring stick for each.
Frontier at Greenfield - Frontier opens what could be a special season on the road
Monument at Mount Anthony - D2 teams in Pioneer Valley are always keeping an eye on the Spartans.
Lenox at Drury - Blue Devils look to make it 2-0 vs. another D-3 opponent.
Wahconah at Athol - Fun game for an opener as my No. 1 Division 2 team looks to slow down Kiley Cleveland on her home court.

Wednesday, Jan. 15
Chicopee Comp at Northampton - Good post matchup between Comp's Amber Legare and Northampton's Lauren Weston.
Mahar at South Hadley - Tigers get a challenge in Paul Dubuc's home debut.
Longmeadow at Minnechaug - Two teams I need to see more from.
    
Thursday, Jan. 16
Westfield at Monument - Spartans hoping for 2-0 before matchup with Wahconah on the 23rd.
Agawam at Pittsfield - Division 1 feels wide open this year. Is Pittsfield a sleeper? Sounds like it.
    
Friday, Jan. 17
Lee at Chicopee Comp - Colts believe they are contenders. A win here would be a massive statement in that direction.
Sci-Tech at Belchertown - Orioles shouldn't be challenged in their first five games -- all at home.
McCann at Hampshire - Hornets shocked Red Raiders last year in North Adams. Can lightning strike twice?
East Longmeadow at Longmeadow - You know the Spartans are going to look to right some of their wrongs in the season-opening loss to Amherst, but Longmeadow isn't a pushover.
Hopkins at Mahar - Fred Ciaglo makes his debut on the Hopkins (girls) sidelines in Orange.
Northampton at Holyoke - Holyoke is No. 1, but Northampton could be better than we all think.
Ludlow at Central - Both teams lost a lot. Interested to see who steps up here.
Sabis at Monson - Two D-3 teams that could be headed to the Cage
West Side at Minnechaug - Falcons new coach and former assistant Pete Kowalski gets a challenging week to start.
Pioneer Regional at Smith Academy - Can the Franklin North hang with the South this year?