Mike Zuglan's Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour
2016-17 Season

Van Boening is the Turning Stone Classic XXVIII Champion
Shane Van Boening

Over the past three years, the Turning Stone Classic has been dominated by Jayson Shaw. Aside from a 7th place finish in January of 2016, Shaw had been unstoppable at this event. Shaw’s five wins were only one behind Johnny Archer’s record of six wins. For the better part of four days, it looked like Shaw would be matching Archer’s record at the 28th running of this event, held August 31st to September 3rd.

Shaw ran through the first days of this event unbeaten and relatively untested. Heading into his winner’s side final four match with Mika Immonen, Shaw had a combined record of 45 games won and 9 games lost. Immonen put up a tougher fight than any other opponent that Shaw had faced so far, getting to six games before Shaw won the match.

Matching Shaw’s run through the right side of the board, Shane Van Boening was making his way through the brackets with a tough run of matches against Danny Hewitt, Jeremy Sossei, and a red hot Donnie Mills. Van Boening came back from 8-7 down to defeat Mills 9-8 to earn his place in the hot-seat match.

The hot-seat match was typical Jayson Shaw, as he raced to an 8-0 lead before defeated Van Boening 9-3.

The loss to Shaw was only a temporary setback for Van Boening though, as he quickly dispatched Mills a second time by a score of 9-3, and the rematch between Shaw and Van Boening was set.

The final match started close with both players tied at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3. From the 3-3 score though, Van Boening took complete control of the match. Racks 7 and 8 saw the two players engage in a safety battle and both racks were won by Van Boening. At the score of 5-3, Van Boening’s break fell into place, and the next time Shaw came to the table he trailed 10-3. A scratch on the break in rack 14 gave Shaw the chance to run a rack and get back to 10-4 down, but he then returned the favor and scratched on his break in rack 15. From there, Shaw seemed to lose his drive and Van Boening cruised to a 13-4 win and his third Turning Stone Classic Win.

- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts

1st $8,000 Shane Van Boening
2nd $5,000 Jayson Shaw (Scot)
3rd $3,600 Donny Mills
4th $2,600 Jeremy Sossei
5/6th $2,000 each - Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen
7/8th $1,600 each - Bucky Souvanthong, Dennis Hatch
9/12th $1,200 each - Rodney, Morris, Joey Cicero (Can), Brandon Shuff, Johnny Archer
13/16th $850 each - Billy Thorpe, Ron Casanzio, Zion Zvi, Billy Lanna
17/24th $550 each - Brent Boemmels, Shaun Wilkie, Nelson Oliveira, Karen Corr, Dan Hewitt (Can), Dave Shlemperis, Jai Li, Jorge Rodriguez
25/32nd $300 each - Erik Hjorliefson (Can), Luc Salvas (Can), Mike Pettit, Matt Tetreault, Earl Herring, Marco Kam, Clyde Matta, Matt Krah

33/48 - Rhys Chen, Damon Sobers, Kevin West, Paul Rozonewski, Nick Brucato, Mark Creamer, Bruce Nagle, Elvis Rodriguez, Dany Normandin (Can),
Hendrik Drost, Caroline Pao, Kerry McAuliffe, Jean Therriault (Can), Kyle Pepin, Hunter Lombardo, Aaron Greenwood

49/64 - Sebastien Laramee (Can), Ivaylo Petrov, Brad Guthrie (Can), Norm Pomainville, John Moody, Gene Hunt, Gregg McAndrews, Jennifer Barretta,
Larry Phlegar, Rich Connors, Steve Fleming, Ranulf Tamba, Steve Lillis, Jason Hall, Dave Mills, James Conn

65/96 - Mike Nicoloro, Cleiton Rocha, Dave Mills, Chris Braiman, Dave Lebrun, Willie Oney, Holden Chin, Martin Daigle (Can), Marie-France Blanchette (Can),
Lida Mullendore, Jerome Rockwell, Dave Fernandez, Pat Fleming, Steven Winter (Can), Randy Labonte, Nick Coppola, Eric Cloutier (Can), Paul Pensgen,
Rick Grannis, Raphael Balverde (Can), Tom Peterson, Josh Rupard, John Francisco, Samoth Sam, Mike Yednak, Joe Sinicropi, Harry Chaggaris (Can)
Mike Andrews, Mike Perhach, Ed Culhane, Jed Jecen, Tony Antone

97/128 - Travis Arias, Fred Gokey, Mike Toohig, Jerry Crowe, Bruce Carroll, Doug Brown (Can), Rohit Aggarwal, Phil Harju, Ben Werblow, Sean Morgan, Josh Harding,
Keith Nelson, Devin Buttle, Steven W Smith, Ron Williams, Samantha Barrett, Keith Owen, Bob Cunningham, Tom Zippler, Chris Pyle, Sean Santoro, Frank Gaetani, Tim Parisian, Norm Wadden, Marc Dionne, David Callaghan, Jay Chiu, Ray Lee, Alvin Thomas, Charley Lamarche, Amar Kang, Borana Andoni

Second Chance Payouts
1st $400 Brent Boemmels
2nd $300 Hendrik Drost
3/4th $200 each - Jai Li, Steve Fleming
5/8th $100 each - Dave Mills, Ben Werblow, Rhys Chen, John Francisco

L-R Kerry McAuliffe, Jayson Shaw, Eklent Kaci, Regina and Steve Goulding		 Kaci over Shaw Twice, for Joss Title
Eklent Kaci pulled off a feat that not many players can stake claim to these days. At the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour stop at Snookers Billiards in Providence, RI on June 3rd - 4th, Kaci defeated Jayson Shaw not once, but twice.

Shaw and Kaci looked to be the cream of the crop, in the 65 player field, and they didn’t disappoint as they cruised through the winner’s side (with neither player losing more than 4 racks in a match) to meet up in the semi-finals on Sunday. That match went to Shaw 9-5.

Shaw then went on to take the hot-seat with a 9-3 win over Nelson Oliveira, but Kaci wasn’t done with Shaw yet on this day. On the left side of the board, Kaci eliminated Bruce Nagle 9-3, Ron Casanzio 9-6 and Oliveira 9-4 to earn a rematch with Shaw in the finals.

While most fans of the game know how rare it is to see Shaw lose a match in the finals, Kaci did the unthinkable and double dipped Shaw 9-7 in both sets of the finals.

“It was scary in the finals” Shaw said after the matches. “Anything he did in the match turned out perfect” he continued.

The 24 player second chance tournament on Sunday also saw a double dip in the finals, as Kerry McAuliffe bounced back from a 3-2 hot-seat loss to Brent Boemmels and scored back to back wins in the double elimination finals for first place.

The event at Snooker’s is the regular season finale for the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour, and their final stop of the season is the Turning Stone Classic XXVIII at the Turning Stone Casino on August 31st - September 3rd. The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will begin their 22nd season in September.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 ALB KACI Eklent 1,050
2 SCO SHAW Jayson 750
3 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 600
4 USA CASANZIO Ron 450
5 USA MITCHELL Greg 350
5 USA NAGLE Bruce 350
7 USA MACK Steve 250
7 USA DARIGIS Joe 250
9 USA FORCIER Jamie 175
9 USA PETTIT Mike 175
9 USA CHEMALY James 175
9 USA DRYDEN Paul 175
13 USA JEVONS Darren 100
13 USA MADENJIAN Robert 100
13 USA BOEMMELS Brent 100
13 USA TRAYGIS Sam 100
Eklent Kaci and Jim Hayden win Joss Tour Stop at Union Station Billiards
L-R Nelson Oliviera, Union Station Owner Phil Harju, Guy Bouthot and Eklent Kaci
Albanian youngster Eklent Kaci added another win to his American resume with an undefeated run through the field of 36 players at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour stop at Union Station Billiards in Portland, Maine on April 29th - 30th.

Fresh off his win at the World Pool Series' Aramith Masters in early April, the 18 year old sensation swept through the winner's side on Saturday with four straight dominating wins. Kaci beat Dave Fernandez, Mike Bourque, Bruce Nagle and Jim Hayden by a combined score of 36-13. Matching Kaci on the right side of the board was American Guy Bouthot. Bouthot took advantage of a first round bye, but then scored wins over Sarah Preston, Paul Cormier and Mark Stewart.

Kaci started his Sunday with a 9-6 win over Nelson Oliveira (the closest he had allowed an opponent to get to beating him all weekend), while Bouthot scored a 9-2 win over Samoth Sam. From there, Kaci scored a 9-2 win over Bouthot to take the hot-seat.

After defeating Oliveira 9-6, Bouthot was right back looking for another shot at Kaci in the finals. In the first set of the finals, Bouthot was able to double his number of games won against Kaci the first time they played. Unfortunately, the was still just four games. Kaci took that first set 9-4 for the undefeated win.

In the second chance tournament, Jim Hayden bounced back from a 3-0 loss to Steve Lillis for the hot-seat, to eliminate Jamie Garrett 3-2 and then double dip Lillis 3-1 and 3-1 in the finals.

The lucky winner of the $1500 custom engraved Joss Cue was Darrell Heroux.

The next stop on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be another $1500/$500 added event, at Snookers in Providence, RI on June 3rd - 4th. That stop will be the last regular season stop before the Turning Stone Classic XXVIII on August 31st - September 3rd.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 ALB KACI Eklent 1,000
2 USA BOUTHOT Guy 700
3 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 550
4 USA WEBSTER Ross 400
5 USA SAM Samoth 250
5 USA FERNANDEZ Dave 250
7 USA CORMIER Paul 175
7 USA NAGLE Bruce 175

Second Chance Payouts
1st - $300 - Jim Hayden
2nd - $200 - Steve Lillis
3rd - $120 - Jamie Garrett
4th - $ 80 - Mark Stewart
5/6th - $40 each - Travis Webster & Rick Beaulieu
L-R Bucky Souventhong, Hippos Owner Andrea Duvall and Spencer Auigbelle 		Souvanthong Earn's First 2017 Joss Tour Win
After his 9-1 win over Jared Zimmerman, things were looking pretty good for Bucky Souvanthong and his chances to win his first Joss NE 9-Ball Tour win of year at Hippos House of Billiards in Utica, NY on April 8th and 9th. It turned out to not be as easy as he might have thought it would be though.

Zimmerman took the trip to the left side of the board, and found Spencer Auigbelle was on a roll. Auigbelle had lost his third round match to Ron Casanzio on Saturday, but he fought back with six straight wins on the one loss side. After a 9-4 win over Mark Creamer, Auigbelle downed John McConnell, Bruce Nagle, Casanzio and Joe Darigis in identical 9-5 matches. Auigbelle then eliminated Zimmerman 9-6 to earn his place in the finals against Souvanthong.

Auigbelle took early control of the first match in the double elimination finals, and scored a 9-4 win to push things to a second set. Souvanthong had to be wondering if he was fated to settle for his second straight second place finish, as he lost to Bruce Nagle in the finals of the tour's stop at King Smiley's Billiards back in March. The second set saw a different player in Souvanthong though, as he took control and cruised to a 9-3 win and his first win of the year.

The second chance tournament on Sunday saw Dwight Dixon bounce back from a final four loss to John McConnell to double dip Hendrik Drost in the finals. After defeating Dixon, McConnell lost to Drost for the hot-seat 3-1. Dixon them eliminated McConnell 3-0, followed up by 3-1 and 3-2 wins over Drost in the finals.

The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be back in action on April 29th - 30th at Union Station Billiards in Portland, ME for another $1500/$500 added event.

Joss Tour director Mike Zuglan is continuing to remind players that entries for Turning Stone XXVIII, scheduled for Aug. 31- Sept 3 are filling up fast, with nearly three-quarters of the field already registered. Contact Zuglan for further information.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 1,000
2 CAN AUIGBELLE Spencer 700
3 USA ZIMMERMAN Jarred 550
4 USA DARIGIS Joe 450
5 USA CASANZIO Ron 300
5 USA WECHSLER Lyn 300
7 USA NAGLE Bruce 150
7 USA ONEY Willie 150
Second Chance Payouts
1 USA DIXON Dwight 300
2 USA DROST Hendrik 200
3 USA MCCONNELL Jon 140
4 USA AGGARWAL Rohit 100
5 USA HALL Jason 50
5 USA DREIDEL Dave 50
Nagle goes undefeated to claim Joss Tour stop #13
L-R Adam Devoe (room owner), Bucky Souvanthong, Bruce Nagle and Mike Zuglan
Last week's quarterfinal match on the Joss Northeast Open 9-Ball Tour (stop #12) turned into this past week's finals (stop #13), as Bruce Nagle completed an undefeated run through a field of 39 entrants, defeating Bucky Souvanthong in the finals, to claim the title. The $1,500-added event ($500-added to Second Chance tournament), held on the weekend of March 18-19, was hosted by King Smiley Billiards in Fort Edward, NY.

Nagle and Souvanthong advanced through the bracket to the winners' side semifinals. Nagle made it out of them, Souvanthong did not. Nagle sent Nick Brucato to the loss side 9-2, as Steve Lillis downed Souvanthong, double hill. Nagle claimed the hot seat 9-5 over Lillis and waited for Souvanthong to complete a three-match, loss-side trip.

On the loss side, Souvanthong picked up Noah Wells, who, after being awarded a bye, was defeated by Brucato in the event's second round, and was in the midst of a five-match, loss-side winning streak that was about to end. Wells had most recently downed Fred Gokey and Dave LeBrun, both 9-5. Brucato drew a re-match against Brent Boemmels, whom he'd defeated on the winners' side, just after sending Wells over. Boemmels was in the midst of a four-match, loss-side winning streak, having recently defeated Ben Werblow, double hill, and Dave Fernandez 9-5.

Souvanthong and Boemmels advanced to the quarterfinals; Boemells successfully wreaking his vengeance on Brucato, in a tightly contested match, 9-7, and Souvanthong sending Wells home 9-4. Souvanthong then defeated Boemmels 9-6 and Lillis, in the semifinals, 9-5.

In the finals, Souvanthong chalked up more racks against Nagle than any of Nagle's previous opponents, but it wasn't enough. Nagle hung on to complete his undefeated run 9-6, and though he's chalked up two wins on Second Chance tournaments on this year's tour (2016-2017), according to our records, this was his first Joss Tour main event win.

In the $500-added Second Chance Tournament, which drew 20 entrants, Frank Sorriento, who was runner-up in the March 11-12 Second Chance Tournament, won five on the loss side, to challenge and eventually double-dip hot seat occupant Dave LeBrun. Sorriento had survived a double hill battle versus Mike Shoemaker in the 5/6 matches, and over the next four matches, including the double set final gave up only one rack; to Mike Verducci in the semifinals. He finished with two shutouts over LeBrun.

In addition to the prize winners in both events, David Dumas was the raffle winner of a $1,500 Joss Cue. Players are reminded that the site for the next stop on the tour (#14), scheduled for April 8-9, has been changed from Salt City Billiards in Syracuse to Hippo's House of Billiards in Utica. Salt City Billiards was destroyed in an early morning fire last month (Feb. 8). No one was injured in the blaze, and though owners are optimistic about rebuilding, no final decisions have been made.

Joss Tour director Mike Zuglan is continuing to remind players that entries for Turning Stone XXVIII, scheduled for Aug. 31- Sept 3 are filling up fast, with nearly three-quarters of the field already registered. Contact Zuglan for further information.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA NAGLE Bruce 1,000
2 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 750
3 USA LILLIS Steve 550
4 USA BOEMMELS Brent 400
5 USA WELLS Noah 300
5 USA BRUCATO Nick 300
7 USA FERNANDEZ Dave 150
7 USA GOKEY Fred 150

Second Chance Payouts
1st - Frank Sorriento - $330
2nd - Dave Lebrun - $220
3rd - Mike Verducci - $150
4th - Joshua Scheff - $100
5/6th - Terry Breault & Mike Shoemaker - $50 each
L-R Ron Casanzio, Trick Shots Billiards owner Tim Berlin and Nelson Oliveira  		Oliveira takes two out of three against Casanzio to claim Joss Tour stop #12
After 15 years of competing on the Joss Northeast Open 9-Ball Tour, Nelson Oliveira had his two best (recorded) earnings years in 2015/2016. He chalked up a Joss Tour victory in 2015, and finished among the top five in six of the seven events in which he competed. In 2016, he chalked up two Joss Tour victories and finished among the top five in seven of nine events. On the weekend of March 11-12, at a $1,500-added stop (#12) on the Joss Tour (aka The Northeast 9-Ball Open XIX, and the 1st Annual Kevin Ketz Memorial), Oliveira claimed his first event title of the year, working his way through a field of 42 at Trick Shot Billiards Sports Bar & Club in Clifton Park, NY.

A $500-added Second Chance event drew 24 entrants, and saw Jeff Smolen take home the top prize. Frank Sorriento shut Smolen out in the first set of a true double elimination final. The second set went double hill, before Smolen closed it out to claim the Second Chance title.

Oliveira came within a match of going undefeated in the main event, and it was fellow Joss Tour veteran, Ron Casanzio, who challenged him in the hot seat match and finals for the title. It was a quartet of Joss Tour veterans who squared off against each other in the two winners' side semifinals. After four rounds of play, Oliveira came up against Dave Grau in one, as Casanzio met up with Bucky Souvanthong in the other. Oliveira sent Grau to the loss side 9-5, while Casanzio sent Souvanthong packing 9-6. Oliveira took the first of three against Casanzio 9-6 and waited in the hot seat for him to return from the semifinals.

Over on the loss side, Grau and Souvanthong ran into Spencer Auigbelle and Bruce Nagle, respectively. Auigbelle had survived a double hill battle against Tom Acciavatti, and eliminated John Babravich 9-4 to draw Grau. Nagle had gotten by Mark Creamer 9-3 and Steve Lillis 9-4 to draw Souvanthong. Auigbelle and Nagle handed Grau and Souvanthong their second straight loss; Auigbelle 9-5 over Grau and Nagle 9-4 over Souvanthong.

Auigbelle downed Nagle 9-4 in the quarterfinals, but had his four-match, loss-side winning streak ended by the man who'd defeated him earlier, Ron Casanzio. Casanzio took the semifinal match over Auigbelle 9-6 for a shot at Oliveira in the hot seat.

Casanzio took the opening set of the true double elimination final 9-7. Oliveira, though, rallied in the second set to take it 9-6 and claim his first 2016 title.

In addition to the prize winners in both events, Melissa LaTour was the raffle winner of a $1,500 Joss Cue. The next stop on the Joss Tour (#13), a $1,500-added event ($500-added Second Chance), scheduled for this weekend (March 18-19), will be hosted by King Smiley Billiards in Fort Edward, NY. Players are reminded that the site for Stop #14 on the tour, scheduled for April 8-9, has been changed from Salt City Billiards in Syracuse to Hippo's House of Billiards in Utica. Salt City Billiards was destroyed in an early morning fire last month (Feb. 8). No one was injured in the blaze, and though owners are optimistic about rebuilding, no final decisions have been made.

Joss Tour director Mike Zuglan is continuing to remind players that entries for Turning Stone XXVIII, scheduled for Aug. 31- Sept 3 are filling up fast, with, as of this weekend, nearly three-quarters of the field already registered. Contact Zuglan for further information.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 1,000
2 USA CASANZIO Ron 700
3 CAN AUIGBELLE Spencer 500
4 USA NAGLE Bruce 400
5 USA GRAU Dave 250
5 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 250
7 USA LILLIS Steve 150
7 USA BABRAVICH John 150
9 USA BRUCATO Nick 100
9 USA ACCIAVATTI Tom 100
9 USA TRINCI Brian 100
9 USA CREAMER Mark 100
Second Chance Payouts
1 USA SMOLEN Jeff 320
2 USA SORRIENTO Frank 210
3 USA VERNON Norm 150
4 USA CREAMER Mark 100
5 USA BLANCHA Tim 60
5 USA WELLS Peter 60
7 USA ST. ANDREWS Justin 40
7 USA BRUCATO Nick 40
Zvi takes two of three against Dupuis to win 8th Annual NE Hall of Fame/Ray Desell Memorial
L-R Joey Dupuis and Zion Zvi
Zion Zvi backed up an undefeated victory at the 10th Annual Empire State Championships last week (Feb. 25-26), with a single-loss win at the 8th Annual New England Pool & Billiards Hall of Fame/Ray Desell Memorial Tournament on the weekend of March 4-5. Zvi faced a former champion of the event, Joe Dupuis, who won it in 2014, three times; once in the hot seat and twice in the double elimination finals. Zvi came back from a loss in the first meeting to double dip Dupuis in the last two. The $2,500-added event, held under the auspices of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, drew 86 entrants to Snooker's in Providence, RI.

Dupuis got into the hot seat of this event after a dramatic comeback in a winners' side semifinal against RYan Lineham. Down 6-0, and five racks behind when Lineham reached the hill, Dupuis came back to tie, before simultaneously taking his first lead of the match and winning it. Zvi joined him in the hot seat match following a 9-5 victory over Bruce Nagle. Dupuis has something of a reputation for thriving in fast-paced games. "When he's on his game, racing around the table," noted an AZ report from the 5th Annual Hall of Fame victory in 2014, "he's a sight to behold." He recreated that "sight to behold" phenomenon in the battle for the hot seat, as he allowed Zvi only three racks in the battle to win it.

On the loss side at the time, there were still a few potential winners of this event, including Jorge Rodriguez and Tom "Shorty" D'Alfonso. Rodriguez had been sent to the loss side by Dupuis (9-6) and was in the midst of a six-match, loss-side winning streak that would take him as far as Zvi and the semifinals. He and D'Alfonso met up in one of the four 9/12 matches, with Rodriguez winning it 7-1 (this was the first time that the Joss NE Tour arranged for loss-side matches to be races to 7). Rodriguez went on to defeat Rick Sleeper 7-3 to draw Lineham. Nagle picked up Dave Fernandez, who'd defeated Francisco Cabral 7-4 and Mike Minichello 7-3 to reach him.

Rodriguez and Fernandez handed Lineham and Nagle their second straight loss, both 7-4, before locking up in a double hill quarterfinal that eventually sent Rodriguez to face Zvi in the semifinals. Zvi ended Rodriguez' loss-side run 7-5 in those semifinals, and got the shot he was looking for against Dupuis in the hot seat.

They fought tooth and nail to double hill in the opener, before Zvi finished it, forcing a second set. They came within a game of forcing a second double hill encounter. Zvi pulled ahead late to claim the title 9-7.

"How are you feeling about this second straight win?" asked Upstate AL, commentator on the AZBTv stream.

"Like Jayson Shaw," said Zvi, referencing Shaw's victory at this event in 2016. "It's been a crazy week.

"I missed a lot of shots," he acknowledged. "I was grinding it, because I wasn't used to these tables. I couldn't make a ball on the break, and (Dupuis) kept getting the momentum."

A record-breaking number of entrants (33) signed on to a $500-added Second Chance tournament, available to "non-pros eliminated from the main event." Like the main event, the Second Chance finals went two sets. With Al McGuane in the hot seat, John Francisco (who'd been sent to the loss side by McGuane in a winners' side semifinal) took the opening set 3-2. By the same score, McGuane won the second set to claim the title. Dave Shlemperis, downed by McGuane in the hot seat match 3-1, finished third, when Francisco followed loss-side victories over Brent Boemmels (3-2) and Bob Madenjian 3-1, and defeated him 3-1.

Joss NE 9-Ball Tour director Mike Zuglan thanked Steve Goulding and his Snooker's staff for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Joss Cues, Simonis, Aramith, PoolOnTheNet.com, Heidrich Custom Cues, AZBilliards, Billiards Press, and Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The next stop on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour, scheduled for March 11-12, will be a $1,500-added event ($500-added to Second Chance) - The Northeast 9-Ball Open XXIX - hosted by Trick Shot Billiards and Sports Pub in Clifton Park, NY. Zuglan also reminded prospective players about the Turning Stone Finale, set for August 31-September 3, which at present is about two-thirds full. Interested players should communicate with Zuglan soon.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 ISR ZVI Zion 1,700
2 USA DUPUIS Joe 1,100
3 USA RODRIGUEZ Jorge 850
4 USA FERNANDEZ Dave 650
5 USA NAGLE Bruce 500
5 LINEHAM Ryan 500
7 USA SLEEPER Rick 350
7 USA MINICHELLO Mike 350
9 USA WIMBUSH Craig 225
9 USA CABRAL Francisco 225
9 USA LANNA Billy 225
9 USA D'ALFONSO Tom 225
13 USA MACK Steve 100
13 USA CLOWERY Jarrod 100
13 USA BERTRAND Tom 100
13 USA PEPIN Kyle 100

Second Chance Payouts
1st - Al McGuane - $360
2nd - John Francisco - $240
3rd - Dave Shlemperis - $180
4th - Bob Madenjian - $120
5/6th - Brian Greene & Brent Boemmels - $80
7/8th - Nick Brucato & Rich Minichello Sr - $50
L-R Jeremy Sossei, Julie Berlin (owner) and Martin Daible  		Jeremy Sossei wins Sharpshooters Joss Tour Stop
Jeremy Sossei recovered from a late Saturday loss, and avenged that loss on his way to winning stop #10 on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour at Sharpshooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam, NY on Feb 18th - 19th.

It was smooth sailing for Sossei early on Saturday, as he notched dominating wins over Willie Oney (9-1), Joe Hagen (9-1), and Danny Basavich (9-0). Bucky Souvanthong then derailed Sossei’s trek through the winner’s side with an equally dominating 9-3 win over Jeremy.

The late Saturday loss meant that Sossei would have a long day of pool on Sunday, if he hoped to add another Joss tour stop to his resume. Sossei resumed his winning ways on Sunday with wins over Mark Creamer, Steve Lillis, Nelson Oliveira and Jorge Teixeira.

Back on the right side of the board. Souvanthong had beaten Ron Casanzio, but then dropped the hot-seat match to Martin Daigle 9-6. That left Souvanthong facing Sossei in the semi-final match, where Sossei redeemed himself for the earlier loss and defeated Souvanthong 9-6.

As always, the Joss Tour final match is a true double elimination contest, and Sossei forced that second set with a 9-5 win over Daigle in the first set. The second set was Sossei at his best, as he crushed Daigle 9-0 for first place.

Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Bruce Nagle put on a show. Nagle’s 3-2 win over Josh Harding in the second round of the tournament was the only rack he lost over five matches. Nagle followed up the win over Harding with 3-0 wins over James Chemaly and then Norm Vernon for the hot-seat. After Vernon’s 3-0 loss to Jordan Turner on the one loss side, Nagle ended the day with another 3-0 win, this time over Turner for first place.

The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour is back in action this weekend at Snookers in Providence, RI for the N.E. Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 1,200
2 CAN DAIGLE Martin 800
3 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 600
4 USA TEIXEIRA Jorge 450
5 USA CASANZIO Ron 350
5 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 350
7 USA LILLIS Steve 200
7 USA ZIMMERMAN Jarred 200
9 USA CREAMER Mark 100
9 USA DROST Hendrik 100
9 USA BRUCATO Nick 100
9 USA ACCIAVATTI Tom 100
Second Chance Payouts
1st Bruce Nagle - $320
2nd Jordan Turner - $200
3rd Norm Vernon - $140
4th Mike Petit - $80
5/6th Dave Sunday & James Chemaly - $40 each
Jorge Teixeira Wins First Career Joss Tour Stop
Jorge Teixeira
They say that pool is a young man’s game, and they are right for the most part. On the other hand, after a 10-year break from the game to play online poker, Connecticut’s Jorge Teixeira says he is playing the best pool of his life and he backed that claim up with a win at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour stop at Salt City Billiards on Jan 21st and 22nd.

Teixeira, born in Portugal but now a resident of Connecticut, was just one of the 46 players to pony up their entry fees to compete in this event, but he cruised through the winner’s bracket with Saturday wins over Jason Hall, Tony Antone, Bruce Nagle and Geoff Montgomery. Teixeira came out strong in his Sunday morning match, scoring a 9-2 win over Jose Mendez. One 9-6 win over Jeremy Sossei later, and Teixeira was sitting in the hot-seat awaiting an opponent.

On the one loss side, Sossei took on Spencer Auigbelle. Auigbell had dropped a match to Dave Grau late Saturday night but bounced back with four wins on the left side of the board on Sunday. Auigbelle would settle for third place, though after a quick 9-3 loss to Sossei.

Sossei kept his strong play going and avenged his loss to Teixeira 9-5 in the first set of the finals. The second set was a different story, though with Teixeira scoring the 9-6 for his first career Joss NE 9-Ball Tour win.

Fifty-four year old Teixeira credited his new table at home and his practice regimen for the win. “After I started back up, I learned how to practice better. Winning that tournament meant a lot to me only because of my age and the hard work paid off. It was the best pool day of my life.” said Teixeira. He continued “Right now I'm playing the best pool of my life because of my work ethic. I know I’m going to improve even at 54 because I believe I’m doing the right kind of practice. It's a challenge vs my self. That's the only reason I play pool.”

The second chance tournament brought back fifteen players on Sunday with Hendrick Drost taking the hot-seat with a 3-2 win over Jamie Garrett. Garrett then beat Brian Lipes 3-1 to earn another shot at Drost in the finals. Garrett would get his revenge with a 3-1 win over Drost in the first set of the finals, but it was Drost with an identical 3-1 win in the second set to earn first place.

The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be at Sharpshooters Billiards in Amsterdam NY on February 18th - 19th for their next stop, another $1500/$500 added event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA TEIXEIRA Jorge 1,000
2 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 700
3 CAN AUIGBELLE Spencer 550
4 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 400
5 USA MENDEZ Jose 300
5 USA GRAU Dave 300
7 USA CROWE Jerry 200
7 USA MONTGOMERY Geoff 200
9 USA SAUR Ed 100
9 USA NAGLE Bruce 100
9 USA MCCONNELL Jon 100
9 USA GREENWOOD Aaron 100

Second Chance Payouts
1 Hendrik Drost 300
2 Jamie Garrett 200
3 Brian Lipes 140
4 Josan Oot 80
5 Lance Kellogg 40
5 Nate Marshall 40
L-R Jayson Shaw & Mike Zuglan		 Jayson Shaw Takes Ownership of Turning Stone Classic
Jayson Shaw has just won the Turning Stone Classic for the fifth time in the last six attempts. We call that domination. And we call Jayson Shaw a player. Rarely do fans get to witness a player who is so hot. We saw it in Greenleaf and Mosconi back in their day, and more recently we saw it with Mike Sigel, Nick Varner, Johnny Archer and Earl Strickland and most recently with Shane Van Boening (whose streak is coincident to Shaw’s.) All of these players went through stages where they seemed to win everything they entered. And now we are seeing it with Jayson Shaw. The only question that remains is for how long he will be able to maintain this high level. Some burn out on it, others prosper in the heat.
Shaw defeated Rodney Morris in the finals of Turning Stone13-6. Rodney made a late comeback after trailing 7-1 but this one was in Shaw’s control the whole way. and with the exception of Shaw, Rodney Morris had a very good week. He defeated the likes of Dennis Hatch (9-7) and Amar Kang (9-4). He then lost the hot seat match to Shaw (9-3) and that sent him way left to take down Dennis Hatch with a convincing 9-3.
Then he had to go face Shaw again in the finals and that just didn’t work out well at all. Shaw jumped out to a large early lead and while Rodney fought back gallantly he just had too much road to get there by darkness and Shaw seated him in second place 13-6.
See more detailed coverage of this event in the upcoming Billiards Buzz.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1st $8,000 Jayson Shaw (Scot)
2nd $5,000 Rodney Morris
3rd $3,600 Dennis Hatch
4th $2,600 Amar Kang
5/6th $2,000 each - John Morra, Thorsten Hohmann (Ger)
7/8th $1,600 each - Oscar Dominguez, Johnny Archer
9/12th $1,200 each - Sebastian Laramee (Can), Darren Appleton (GBR), Jorge Rodriguez, Jarrod Clowery
13/16th $850 each - Tom Theriault (Can), Joey Cicero (Can), Nelson Oliveira, Tom D'alfonso
17/24th $550 each - Phil Davis, Ernesto Dominguez, Del Sim, Spencer Auigbelle, Jereny Sossei, Hunter Lombardo, Karen Corr, Tom Zippler
25/32nd $300 each - Erik Hjorleifson (Can), Ed Saur, Dan Hewitt, Brandon Shuff, Eric Cloutier (Can), Luc Salvas (Can), Tony Antone, Bucky Souvanthong
33/48 - Kevin West, Marco Kam, Rob Sakell (Can), Cleiton Rocha, Chad Bowling, Nick Coppola, Jerome Rockwell, Elvis Rodriguez, Zion Zvi (Isr), Rick Sleeper, Holden Chin, Ben Crawley (Can), Sean Morgan, Hendrik Drost, Kyle Pepin, Ron Casanzio
49/64 - Jonathan Smith, Dave Mills, Mike Andrews, Jia Li (CHN), Geoff Montgomery, Ivaylo Petrov, John Vitale, Rich Connors, Martin Daigle, Gregg McAndrews, Jason Michas, Caroline Pao, Shaun Wilkie, Steve Lillis, Matt Tetreault, Bruce Nagle
65/96 - Roger Miller (Can), Mike Giurleo, Nick Antonakos, Samantha Barrett, Rob Staskowski, Damian Mancini, Luca Bares, Bob Cunningham, Nicole Fleming, Maxime Villeneuve (Can), Jennifer Barretta, Willie Oney, Steven W Smith, Mark Creamer, Bob Lewis, Steve Motilal, Mario Morra (Can), John Babravich, Joe Ziegler, Dwight Dixon, Matt Krah, Jim Udischas, Aaron Greenwood, Mike Toohig, Paul Pensgen, Joe Sinicropi, Justin Deon (Can), Paul Dryden, Dave Fernandez, Chris Braiman, Bill Cote, Mike Yednak
97/128 - Steve Fleming, Justin Muller, Mike Perhach, Adam Profitt (Can), Ron Williams, Randy Labonte, Dave Shlemperis, Frank Gaetani, Russ Randall, Fred Gokey, Mike Nicoloro, Jay Goyer (Can), Phil Harju, Dale Kimmett, Ryan Dacko, Brent Boemmels, Jerry Crowe, Dan Simoneau, Ed San Soucie, John Moody, Patrick Adam (Can), Tom Gildea, Lida Mullendore, Larry Phlegar, Jed Jecen, Brenden Croft (Can), Jim Romanowski, Robert Ferry,
Brian Trinci, Jamie Addessi, Greg Antonakos, Dave Pinkston
Second Chance Payouts
1st $500 Spencer Auigbelle
2nd $300 Rob Sakell
3/4th $200 each - Chad Bowling, Phil Davis
5/8th $100 each - John Babravich, John Vitale, Steve Fleming, Dave Mills
Oliveira Holds Off Sossei For Joss Tour Win
L-R Mike Zuglan, Jeremy Sossei, Nelson Oliveira & Room Owner Phil Harju
It looked like it was going to be smooth sailing for Nelson Oliveira on his run through the field of 40 other players at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's stop at Union Station Billiards in Portland Maine on November 19th - 20th, but in the end he would have to fight it out with Jeremy Sossei in a double elimination final before a winner was crowned.
Oliveira had no problems on Saturday, as he scored wins over Jeff Mosimann, Andrew Burns and Bob Dennis to remain undefeated. Joining him on the winner's side Sunday were Jeff Provencher, Dave Hall and Josh Rupard. Sunday matches saw Oliveira beat Provencher 9-1, and Hall beat Rupard 9-4. Oliveira would then go on to defeat Hall by that same 9-4 score.
On the one loss side. Jeremy Sossei was on a tear after a hill-hill loss to Samoth Sam on Saturday. After that loss, Sossei went on a seven match winning streak, including notable wins over Martin Daigle, Chad Bazinet, Provencher, Rupard and Hall.
Sossei extended his streak to eight matches with a 9-5 win over Oliveira in the first set of the double elimination finals. The second set was close early, with the players tied at 3-3, before Oliveira took control and won six straight games for the 9-3 win.
The second chance tournament on Sunday drew a field of 20 players where Brent Boemmels went undefeated to earn first place. Boemmels defeated Travis Webster 3-1 for the hot-seat and then held off Lindsey Monto 3-2 in the first set of the finals. Boemmels collected collected $320 for first, while Monto settled for $200 in second place prize money.
In addition to a fourth place finish in the second chance event, Josh Lerner was also the winner of the raffle for the $1500 custom engraved Joss cue at this event.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour now takes a break until the Turning Stone Classic XXVII on January 5th - 8th in Verona NY. This event is now full.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 1,000
2 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 700
3 USA HALL Dave 500
4 USA RUPARD Josh 400
5 USA FRANCIS Cody 225
5 USA PROVENCHER Jeff 225
7 USA BAZINET Chad 150
7 USA SAM Samoth 150
9 USA DENNIS Bob 100
9 USA PEPIN Kyle 100
9 USA FERNANDEZ Dave 100
9 USA PORTER Cody 100
Second Chance Payouts
1st - Brent Boemmels - $320
2nd - Lindsey Monto - $200
3rd - Travis Webster - $160
4th - Josh Lerner - $100 (also won the $1,500 Joss Cue raffle)
5/6th - Ross Webster & Jim Hayden - $60 each
L-R Mike Zuglan, Ron Casanzio, Jayson Shaw and room owner Steve Goulding		 Shaw Defends Ocean State Title
It's good to be Jayson Shaw right now. After back to back undefeated wins at the Steinway Classic and then the Kuwait Open, Shaw extended his undefeated streak to three consecutive tournaments with his win at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's 28th Ocean State 9-Ball Championship at Snookers Billiards in Providence, RI.
Shaw hasn't lost a match since his semi-final match loss to Chang Jung-Lin at the US Open 9-Ball Championship, and he made quick work of the field of 79 players at Snookers on November 12th - 13th. Shaw's second round 9-6 win over Tom Zippler was the closest an opponent would get to Shaw all weekend, and he played stronger as the event went on. A 9-0 win over Redgie Cutler, a 9-4 win over Jorge Rodriguez and a 9-1 win over Canadian Joey Cicero were just a couple highlights for Shaw's weekend.
Shaw took the hot-seat with a dominating 9-3 win over Ron Casanzio, and after a 9-6 win over Nelson Oliviera, Casanzio would have the unenviable task of trying to defeat Shaw twice in the finals. The task would prove to be way too much for anyone on this day, as Shaw went on to defeat Casanzio 9-1 in the first set of the finals.
Shaw collected $2,500 for the win, his second straight Ocean State Title, while Casanzio settled for $1700 in second place prize money.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour will be at Union Station Billiards in Portland Maine next weekend for another $1500/$500 added main event and second chance tournament.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 GBR SHAW Jayson 2,500
2 USA CASANZIO Ron 1,700
3 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 1,300
4 CAN DAIGLE Martin 1,000
5 USA RODRIGUEZ Jorge 800
5 CAN CICERO Joey 800
7 USA BERTRAND Tom 600
7 USA D'ALFONSO Tom 600
9 USA MADENJIAN Robert 400
9 USA TAMBA Ranulf 400
9 USA ROCHA Cleiton 400
9 USA DECHAINE Mike 400
13 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 250
13 USA DAVIS Phil 250
13 USA CABRAL Francisco 250
13 USA RUPARD Josh 250
17 CAN LARAMEE Sebastien 125
17 USA TETREAULT Matt 125
17 USA MONTGOMERY Geoff 125
17 USA DRYDEN Paul 125
17 USA CUTLER Reggie 125
17 USA OPITZ Eric 125
17 USA ZIPPLER Tom 125
17 USA GIURLEO Mike 125
Nelson Oliveira Wins Al Conte Memorial
L-R Jeremy Sossei, Room Owner Andrea Duvall and Nelson Oliveira
Nelson Oliveira defeated Jeremy Sossei two out of three matches to earn first place at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's Al Conte Memorial at Hippo's House of Billiards on November 5th - 6th.
Oliveira and Sossei advanced through the right side of the board to meet up for the hot-seat, which was won by Oliveira 9-7.
Sossei found Bucky Souvanthong waiting on the one loss side. After an early Saturday loss, Souvanthing had mowed through the one loss side with seven straight match wins. His weekend would finally come to an end, with Sossei scoring a 9-7 win and advancing to the final rematch with Oliveira.
Sossei pushed the final match to two sets with a 9-5 win in set one, but Oliveira took the second set 9-6 for first place.
The second chance tournament saw Hendrick Drost make the most of his hot-seat appearance. Drost took the hot-seat with a 3-1 win over Dwight Dixon, and knew that his final match opponent would have to win six games against him to keep him from the winner's circle. After eliminating Dixon 3-1, it was Willie Oney coming from the left side of the board. The final match once again proved the adage about how tough it is to win that final game as Oney won the first set 3-0 and led the second set 2-0 before Drost came back to win three straight games for first place.
This weekend, the Joss NE 9-Ball tour will be at Snookers iin Providence RI, for the 28th Annual Ocean State 9-Ball Championship, a $5000 added event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 1,000
2 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 750
3 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 550
4 USA NAGLE Bruce 400
5 USA CASANZIO Ron 250
5 USA TEXIERA George 250
7 USA BRUCATO Nick 150
7 USA CROWE Jerry 150
Second Chance Payouts
1 USA DROST Hendrik 300
2 USA ONEY Willie 200
3 USA DIXON Dwight 120
4 USA KETZ Kevin 80
5 USA CARROLL Bruce 30
5 USA ZIMMERMAN Jarred 30
L-R Jonathan Smith and Nelson Oliveira 		Jonathan Smith Wins Joss NE 9-Ball Tour Stop 5
Jonathan Smith held off a late charge from Nelson Oliveira to win the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's stop at Raxx Pool Room Sports Bar & Grill in West Hempstead, NY on October 22nd - 23rd.
Smith's path through the brackets saw him defeat Jeff Mosimann, Oliveira and Bruce Nagle for the hot-seat. After the loss to Smith, Oliveira went on a one loss side winning streak that saw him eliminate Holden Chin, Kang Lee and Nagle.
Oliveira kept his strong play going in the first set of the double elimination finals, where he defeated Smith 9-5. The second set of the finals saw Smith bounce back with a one sided 9-2 win for first place.
George Florides was the lucky winner of the drawing for the $1,500 custom engraved Joss cue.
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour is back at it on November 5th - 6th, with the Al Conte Memorial at Hippo's House of Billiards in Utica NY. Players who wish to compete in the upcoming Turning Stone Classic XXVII should contact Zuglan at 518-356-7163 to lock up their place in the event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA SMITH Jonathan 1,000
2 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 600
3 USA NAGLE Bruce 400
4 HKG LEE Kang 250
Dany Hewitt & Dave Mills Take Joss Stop At Salt City Billiards
L-R Frank Delconte, owner, Martin Daigle 2nd place Dan Hewitt 1st Jennifer Delconte, owners wife, Front Meane Daigle Nichole Delconte (daughters)
Salt City Billiards in Syracuse NY was our host for stop #4 of the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour's current 20th season with Dany Hewitt taking top honors in the main event. Hewitt's road to the finals was a relatively easy trip with wins over Dave Johnson 9-1, Rohit Aggarwal 9-2, former NYS Champ Alan Kiehle 9-6, Joe Darigis 9-4, Spencer Auigbelle 9-6 and Hendrik Drost 9-3 for the hot seat. His opponent in the finals, Martin Daigle, had a much tougher task at hand. Having lost a hard fought hill-hill 1st round match to Bucky Souvanthong, things were not looking good. But, that loss seemed to trigger a winning attitude as Daigle proceeded to knock off opponents one by one to the tune of 9 wins in a row for him to reach the finals verses Hewitt. Daigle's victories included wins over Lance Kellogg 9-2, Bruce Carroll 9-1, Dwight Dixon 9-3, Dave Grau 9-3, Joe Darigis 9-4, Ed Saur 9-7, Bruce Nagle 9-8, Spencer Auigbelle 9-3 and Hendrik Drost 9-4.
In the true double elimination format it appeared that Daigle had not lost any steam, winning the first set of the all Canadian finals over Hewitt 9-6. The set was somewhat close early on but hewitt was always slightly behind and seemed to have a little trouble getting his game in gear. The second set however was much different as Hewitt simply dominated Daigle to the tune of 9-2. Hewitt collected $1,000 while Daigle settled for second money of $700 and Drost earned $550 for a great 3rd place finish.
Our $20 entry fee Sunday second chance tourney saw Dave Mills come back from an early loss for the win. That event saw Jason Hall defeat Jerome Rockwell for the hot seat. Mills then beat Rockwell and went on to defeat Hall two sets in the final by scores of 3-2 & 3-2. Mills collected $280 for first, Hall $180 for second and Rockwell $120 for third.
The lucky winner of our $1,500 custom engraved Joss Cue raffle was a local player, Charles Maitland.
We are fast approaching our mid season championship "Turning Stone Classic XXVII 9-Ball Open" on January 5-8, 2017. If you would like to compete in this world class event, I suggest you contact Mike Zuglan immediately to avoid being left out. The event is limited to the first 128 paid entries and Always fills months ahead. If just coming to watch, spectator admission is Free once again. Mike Zuglan can be reached at 518-356-7163.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1st - Dany Hewitt - $1,000
2nd - Martin Daigle - $700
3rd - Hendrik Drost - $550
4th - Spencer Auigbelle - $400
5/6 - Bruce Nagle & Aaron Greenwood - $300 each
7/8 - Ed Saur & Marco Kam - $200 each
9/12 - Bucky Souvanthong, Joe Darigis, Ron Casanzio & Mark Creamer - $100 each
Second Chance Payouts
1st - Dave Mills - $280
2nd - Jason Hall - $180
3rd - Jerome Rockwell - $120
4th - Nate Marshall - $80
5/6 - Lance Kellogg & Russ Randall - $40 each
L-R Bucky Souvanthong, (room owner) Julie Berlin and Ron Casanzio		 Souvanthong and Brucato Double Dip for Joss Tour Wins
In a true double elimination tournament format, it is not a common sight to see the player who loses the hot-seat match come back and douple dip their opponent in the finals. It happened twice though at the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's third stop of the season at Sharpshooters Billiards in Amsterdam NY on October 8th - 9th.

The main event saw Ron Casanzio edge Bucky Souvanthong 9-8 for the hot-seat. Casanzio has turned in a number of strong finishes on the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour, but had not visited the winner's circle since 2013. Souvanthong eliminated Brent Boemmels 9-5 to earn the chance to keep Casanzio from that winner's circle one more time. It looked like smooth sailing for Casanzio in the first set of the finals as he raced out to a quick 4-0 lead. A missed shot in rack five was all the opportunity that Souvanthong needed as he took control and won the next eight racks. Casanzio tried to mount a comeback, but could only get to 8-6 before Souvanthong took the first set 9-6. The second set was a much closer affair with neither player able to build any sort of lead. The match stayed that way until the end, with Souvanthong clinching the 9-7 win for first place.

The second chance tournament was very similar to the main event, with Dave Johnson defeating Nick Brucato 3-2 for the hot-seat. Brucato came back and beat Hendrik Drost 3-1 to earn his place in the finals. It was Brucato's second trip to the second chance event finals in as many weeks, and he made the most of it this time with 3-1 and 3-2 wins over Johnson for first place. Drost might have still done the best of any player in the second chance event, as he combined his third place prize money with winning the custom engraved Joss cue raffle.

Casanzio's second place finish in the main event was enough to propel him to first place on the Joss Tour Points List, with Souvanthong a close 25 points behind.

The Joss Tour will be at Salt City Billiards for their next stop on October 15th - 16th. Players who wish to compete in the upcoming Turning Stone Classic XXVII should contact Zuglan at 518-356-7163 to lock up their place in the event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 1,000
2 USA CASANZIO Ron 650
3 USA BOEMMELS Brent 450
4 USA BABRAVICH John 300
5 USA NAGLE Bruce 200
5 USA CARROLL Bruce 200
Second Chance Payouts
1 USA BRUCATO Nick 300
2 USA JOHNSON Dave 200
3 USA DROST Hendrik 140
4 USA ROMANOWSKI Jim 80
Sossei and Nagle earn Joss Tour Wins
L-R Ron Casanzio, Chris Braiman and Jeremy Sossei
Jeremy Sossei went undefeated - and untested - through a field of 40 players to win the Joss NE 9-Ball Tour's second stop of the season at Eastridge Billiards in Rochester, NY on October 1st & 2nd.

It was smooth sailing for Sossei all weekend, as he took the hot-seat with a 9-4 win over Ron Casanzio. That 9-4 scoreline was the closest an opponent got to defeating Sossei up to that point in the event. Casanzio earned the right for another swing at Sossei, by defeating Nelson Oliveira 9-5 in the semi-fiinal match. Casanzio was able to make the finals a little closer, but still dropped the first set of the finals to Sossei 9-5.

The second chance event, on Sunday, saw Bruce Nagle turn in an undefeated performance of his own. Nagle defeated Nick Coppola 3-0 for the hot-seat, and then defeated Nick Brucato 3-1 in the first set of the finals for first place.

Steve Zajac, a young player from Buffalo, was the lucky winner of the $1500 Custom engraved Joss Cue raffle.

The Joss NE 9-Ball tour will be at Sharpshooter Billiards in Amsterdam, NY on October 8th - 9th for their next tour stop. Players who wish to compete in the upcoming Turning Stone Classic XXVII should contact Zuglan at 518-356-7163 to lock up their place in the event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA SOSSEI Jeremy 1,000
2 USA CASANZIO Ron 800
3 USA OLIVEIRA Nelson 600
4 USA SOUVANTHONG Bucky 400
5 USA DIXON Dwight 300
5 USA WECHSLER Lyn 300
7 USA GREENWOOD Aaron 150
7 USA THAMMAVONG Sourith 150
Second Chance Payouts
1 USA NAGLE Bruce 300
2 USA BRUCATO Nick 200
3 USA COPPOLA Nick 120
4 USA DROST Hendrik 80
5 CAN AUIGBELLE Spencer 40
5 USA SALVETTI Travis 40
L-R Tom Theriault, Mike Zuglan and Mike Dechaine		 Deja Vu X 6 for Dechaine at Joss Tour Opener
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour kicked off their 2016-2017 season on September 24th - 25th at the same place and the same way it has kicked off the past nine seasons. Since 2007, the tour has held their first event of the year at TJ’s Classic Billiards in Waterville, Maine. Considering that TJ’s is the homeroom for Mike Dechaine, it will come as no surprise that he has won the season opener on the tour every year since 2011.

This year, Dechaine held off a field of 52 other players to notch win #6. Dechaine beat Canadian Tom Theriault 9-7 for the hot-seat, in a match that saw Theriault miss a relatively easy shot that would have allowed him to get to hill-hill against Dechaine.

Theriault made quick work of Corey Payer in the semi-final match, where he posted a 9-2 win to send Payer home in third place.

Dechaine’s win in the first set of the double elimination finals was a much more comfortable one, with him defeating Theriault by a 9-5 scoreline.

Sunday saw 22 players come back for the $500 added second chance event, where Jeff Mosimann came back from the one loss side to defeat Cleiton Rocha twice in the finals. Rocha defeated Jordan Labbe 3-2 for the hot-seat, but Mosimann then eliminated Labbe 3-1, before defeating Rocha 3-2 and 3-0 in the finals.

The lucky winner of the raffle for the $1500 custom Joss cue was local player CJ Farnum.

The Joss NE 9-Ball tour will continue their new season at East Ridge Billiards in Rochester, NY on October 1st and 2nd. Tour director Mike Zuglan pointed out that January’s Turning Stone Classic XXVII is filling fast and will undoubtedly fill up again. Players should contact Zuglan at 518-356-7163 to lock up their place in the event.
- by AzB staff
AZBilliards.com
Complete Results:
Main Event Payouts
1 USA DECHAINE Mike 1,000
2 CAN THERIAULT Tom 800
3 USA PAYER Corey 600
4 USA CLOWERY Jarrod 450
5 USA SAM Samoth 325
5 USA RUPARD Josh 325
7 USA PETROV Ivaylo 225
7 USA PEPIN Kyle 225
9 USA MOSIMANN Jeff 100
9 USA WEBSTER Travis 100
9 USA ROCHA Cleiton 100
9 USA CONNORS Rich 100
Press Release: 9/26/16
Everyone, Congratulations to TJ's Classic Billiards, "Maine Event X" Champion, Mike Dechaine ($1,000), Second Chance winner Jeff Mosimann ($340) & our $1,500 custom engraved Joss Cue raffle winner CJ Farnum!
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be at East Ridge Billiards in Rochester NY, on Sat & Sun Oct 1 & 2 for stop # 2 of our 2016/2017 season. The event will be $1,500/$500 added and as always is open to all players. Our generous host at East Ridge is Chris Braiman who deserves our thanks for bringing the tour back to Western NY. FYI, East Ridge is the former home room of some of the best to ever play the game. Irving Crane, Larry Hubbart & Mike Sigel to name a few! At East Ridge we will have 14, 9 footers all covered in 860 Simonis at our disposal. There is also a full kitchen with daily home made specials, and a beer and wine bar to satisfy any thirst. Once again there will be a $1,500 custom, engraved Joss Cue up for grabs in our raffle. Anyone can participate and you do not have to be present to win. You can view this beautiful cue here: https://josscues.com/joss-northeast-9-ball-tour-2016-17/
This event at East Ridge will consist of a $1500 added Saturday and Sunday Main Event (entry fee $120 for pro level - I will decide - or $70 for non pro level) and a $500 added second chance event on Sunday ($20 entry fee) only for those non pro level players eliminated from the main event on Saturday.
For those of you coming to play, please arrive on Saturday Oct.1st BEFORE 11:30 AM in proper dress of NO T-shirts, shorts or sweat clothes please. Jeans, sneakers and a shirt with a collar works just fine at all of our billiard parlor events! If coming to watch, play will begin after sign in on Saturday and 11am on Sunday.
For our complete Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour schedule, results and other pertinent tour info, please go to www.joss9balltour.com or Facebook at - Mike Zuglan's Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.
Please note that our $25,000 Added Turning Stone Classic XXVII 9-Ball Open (January 5-8, 2017) is fast approaching and will fill to capacity before you know it. If you would like to compete in this BCA, WPA & Official Mosconi Team USA ranking event, NOW is the time to enter to avoid being shut out! To enter you must contact me at 518-356-7163 or see me at any of our events Before the event is full. I have been actively collecting entries since our last Turning Stone event so I strongly urge everyone to act now!!
Please remember to spread the word to frequent your local billiard parlors and utilize the world class products of our most generous sponsors. They are the backbone of our sport and deserve our support!! Thank you & I will see you all at East Ridge.
Mike Zuglan
Ivo Linkin and Lukas Fracasso-Verner Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions
Congratulations to the winners of our first ever Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships, 12 year old Ivo Linkin in the 12 & under division, and 14 year old Lukas Fracasso-Verner in the 18 & under division. Each winner received an engraved Joss Cue and case plus trophies for the top 3 finishers in both events. Runners up were 11 year old Zach Hemendinger (2nd) and 12 year old Ralph Ramos (3rd) in the 12 & under division. And 15 year old Peter Abatangelo (2nd) and 16 year old Emily Herpel (3rd) in the 18 & under division. Let me tell you, "these kids can play"! Some of the kids were well versed in the art of tournament play and some were, more than likely, playing in their first event. It was a pleasure hosting this event and watching all of the 22 youngsters having a great time playing pool! Every player even got the opportunity to pick at least 2 of the vast array of donated products, and in addition, we gave away 5 various cue and case combos by way of random raffles.
The events were double elimination races to 7 on the 7 foot Diamond tables for the 12 and under and races to 9 on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under. Zach Hemendinger defeated Ivo Linkin 7-6 for the hot seat. Ivo then defeated Ralph Ramos 7-3 to get to the finals and avenged his previous loss by wining 2 sets 7-4 and 7-3 for the win. Over on the 9 footers it was Lukas Fracasso-Verner who went undefeated for his title besting Emily Herpel 9-4 for the hot seat. Emily then fell victim to Peter Abatangelo who then lost in the final match 9-4 to Fracasso-Verner. Hopefully it was a great time and learning experience for all of the participants in both events. I will do my very best to make this a regular seasonal event on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.
I would like to thank all of these fine companies and people for making this event possible and helping to make it run so smoothly. They are, in no particular order: Tim & Julie Berlin (owners of Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub), Peter & Billie Jo Hemendinger, Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes of Joss Cues, Verizon, Dan Dishaw, James Sinclair of Rhythm Cues, CJ & Peggi Wilkinson of Baltimore City Cues, Iwan Simonis Cloth, Aramith, Ted Klonowski's Bowling & Billiard Supplies, TAP League, Don Kerns, Mark Kulungian, Bruce Barthelette, Steve Lillis, Andrea Duvall from Hippos The House Of Billiards, Jim Romanowski, Matt Tetreault, Keith Odell, John Babravich, Brian Trinci, all of the kids and parents, and everyone that came to support them!
Mike Zuglan
 
 
 
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