Matt Tetreault, Andrea Duvall (room owner) and Suad Kantarevic
The Joss NE 9-Ball Tour crowned another first time tour stop winner as Suad Kantarevic won the third “Supplemental Tour Stop” at Utica Billiards on the Boulevard on July 10-11.
Kantarevic was one of fifty three players who came out to this “Supplemental” tour stop, held before the tour officially kicks off it’s 2021/2022 season in October. Kantarevic’s best career finish on the tour was a runner-up finish in last year’s N.E. Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame 9-Ball Open, dropping his finals match to Rodney Morris. Morris was not an obstacle for Kantarevic at this event, thought it might not have mattered as well as he was playing. Kantarevic cruised through Saturday matches against Glen Van Court, Cliff Hard, Jordan Turner and Jim Kearney, without allowing an opponent more than four games in any one match.
Sunday got started with Kantarevic still in top gear, as he sent Nick Brucato to the one loss side 9-3 in the first match of the day. That left Matt Tetreault as the last obstacle between Kantarevic and the hot-seat, after Tetreault defeated Dave Dreidel in their early Sunday match 9-8. The hot-seat match with Tetreault proved to be Kantarevic’s biggest challenge of the weekend, and he won it 9-7.
Brucato was on a tear on the one loss side, with dominating wins over Marko Clarke and Peter Khuoc, but he had no answer for Tetreault, dropping their semi-final match 7-1.
Any momentum that Tetreault may have gained with the win over Brucato was quickly stifled as Kantarevic ran away with a 9-3 win in the first set of the finals for his first ever Joss NE 9-Ball Tour win.
Sunday’s second chance tournament saw Bruce Carroll go undefeated, with three consecutive hill-hill wins (Christine Cockrell, Jim Kearney and Rohit Aggarwal for the hot-seat) on his way to the hot-seat. Aggarwal came from the one loss side to offer one more challenge for Carroll but Carroll won the first set of the finals 3-0 for the tournament win.
18 & under, Frank Spain III and 12 & Under D’Angelo Spain
Congratulations to our new 2020, Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions Frank Spain III in the 18 & under division and D’Angelo Spain in the 12 & under. Both players dominated their respective divisions to claim their titles. Also congratulations to our second place finishers, Amber Kolchew (18 & under) & Alena Hahn (12 & under). Both of these young ladies were very impressive players as well. Frank Spain III and his younger brother D’Aangelo both went undefeted to earn their championships. Our formats for both divisions this year were, round robin group play with the final four playing off in single elimination play to determine the champions. Once again Tim Berlin deserves much thanks for allowing us the use of his beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sposrt Pub in Amsterdam NY.
It was a fun day of pool watching these 32 talented youngsters compete with some as young as 8 years old. There were 18 in the 18 & under division and 14 in the 12 & under. Most were playing in their first tournament ever. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though they were very serious in trying to win. Some even made a long weekend out of it by having a pizza, wings & pool (swimming) party at their motel! All players were treated to a table full of donated items to choose from, plus free raffles for the larger items. Many thanks go out to the many people and companies that generously donated products and their time to help. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel, Bill Cote, Josh Burbul, Don Kennedy & Steve Lillis. And thank you to anyone I may have missed and everyone else involved. Hopefully we will be doing this for years to come. I am now accepting donations for our 2021 Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships. Product and monetary donations can be made by contacting Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163.
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be hosting its 4th "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 25, 2020. The event will take place at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam, NY – www.sharpshootersbilliards.com .
At Sharp Shooters there is something for everyone. From a friendly game of Pool, Foosball, or Darts to meeting friends out for some great food, drinks & to watch the game – Sharp Shooters has it! And now they even have professional Bocce Ball courts downstairs. A fun and friendly atmosphere for all ages! Tim & Julie Berlin have been most generous to our tour having 3 regular season events both at Sharp Shooters and Trick Shot Billiards & Sports Pub, and now donating the use of their room for our Junior event. Many thanks to them for their continued support of the game.
Many people and companies have generously donated products and their time to help. I would like to acknowledge and thank them all as it is because of them that each participant will receive some of their items. There will also be free raffles for the players for some of the larger items. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Bruce Barthelette & Steven W. Smith. Sorry if I missed anyone! And thank you to everyone else, who has been, or will be involved. Any top or Pro players are encouraged to drop by if you have the time and are in the neighborhood. I'm sure the kids would love to meet you!
The event will consist of 2 divisions that will run concurrently. There will be an 18 and under plus a 12 and under tournament. Entry fees are $25 per event. Doors will open at 10:30 am Saturday January 25th and final registration is at 11:30 am. The format will be: races to 9, double elimination, on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under group and races to 5, double elimination, on the 7 foot Diamonds for the 12 and under kids. The winners of each division will receive a beautiful Joss Cue and case and trophy. Please keep in mind that due to attendance, some things could change. The ultimate goal is for everyone to have a great time!
For more information or to let us know of your intention to come (which is encouraged), please contact one of us. Tim Berlin at 518-944-6797, or Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163. More Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Info and directions to host rooms etc. can be found at joss9balltour.com
For those in need of accommodations, there are 2 nearby motels. Super 8, 5502 Rt 30, Amsterdam, NY 12010 – 518-843-5888 & Valley View Inn, 1351 NY Rt 5s, Amsterdam, NY 12010 – 518-842-5637. Other motels may be found by searching the Schenectady & Amsterdam NY area.
Thanks everyone and I hope you all come to Sharp Shooters to see the youth of our game in action & having fun!
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Day one at the Turning Stone Classic XXXII went pretty much as expected, with no real upsets of note. All of the top players advanced into day two without a loss.
The first rounds usually don’t offer many “marquee matches” but it looked like there would be one in the first round matchup between Joss Tour regular Matt Tetreault and Zion Zvi. Tetreault had other plans though, as he cruised to a dominating 9-1 win over Zvi.
Bruce Carroll, who got into the tournament at the last minute because of a no-show, took an early 2-0 lead over former champion Billy Thorpe, but Thorpe quickly righted his ship to tie things at 4-4 and then go on to win the match 9-5. Jim Prather did what he could to give the fans an upset as he fought Johnny Archer to a 4-4 tie before Archer took control of the match and won 9-4. Brandon Shuff was on his way to a convincing win over Jesse Docalavich in the final round of the night when he held an early 6-0 lead. Docalavich wasn’t going to just hand Shuff the win though, as he came back to 6-4 down, to get Shuff’s attention. Shuff then regained control for the 9-5 win.
Upstate Al is providing a free stream of select matches on his Facebook page and the noon (Eastern Time) match looks like a great one between Shane Van Boening and Johnny Archer. We are providing complete coverage of the event with online brackets and real time scoring for the duration of the event.
Brackets are online and we will be covering this event with real time scoring all weekend long. For those who can’t make it to Turning Stone, Upstate Al will be providing a free live stream of feature matches for the entire event.
Mike Zuglan's Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour and Turning Stone Resort Casino are proud to present our 2018-2019 Season Finale, The $25,000 Added, "Turning Stone Classic XXXII 9-Ball Open". This event will once again take place in Turning Stone's beautiful & spacious Event Center which has become known worldwide as one of the best venues ever. There are no bad seats. Our layout allows you to mingle with all of your favorite players and friends, giving you the feeling of being part of the action yourself. If you have never been to Turning Stone, located in Verona NY, you simply don't know what you are missing. Check them out at www.turningstone.com
For the 32nd time, we will have a full field of 128 players with no shortage of past, present and future Champions. Shane Van Boening, Jayson Shaw, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen, Billy Thorpe, Thorsten Hohmann, Jennifer Barretta & LoreeJon Hasson are just a few of the legends signed up for this event. But let's not count out our Joss Tour regulars like Matt Tetreault, Bruce NagleRon Casanzio & this season's tour point champ Jeremy Sossei, who just to name a few, all have a legitimate chance of making history. So look for anything to happen when the smoke clears on Sunday night. I am pleased to also announce that once again this a BCA ranking event for US players looking for invitations to many world events. The complete player list is on our site www.joss9balltour.com
There will once again be a "Second Chance" tournament on Sunday August 25th at 10AM running continuously and concurrently with the main event until completed. This is an extra event for those Non Pro level players (I will decide) eliminated from the main event. The event format will be as follows: $60 Entry Fee – 32 Player Max – same rules as main event – Single Elimination – Races to 4, best 2 of 3 sets, with the deciding set being a single game sudden death. This means that if each player wins a race to 4, there will be a lag for the break and a 1 game playoff to determine the match winner. Entries will be taken for this tournament as players are eliminated from the main event and will be treated as first paid – first in until the event is full.
The equipment for our world class event will once again be 16, 9 foot Diamond Pro tables & lights covered with 860 Simonis ("The Cloth Of Champions") tournament blue cloth. We will be using the new Aramith Tournament TV Pro Cup balls. Thanks again to Ivan Lee for providing us with the world's best cloth and the world's best billiard balls! All of these items will be for sale in tournament used condition, and only seriously interested parties are urged to contact Mike Zuglan immediately at 518-356-7163 for info and pricing.
Being a spectator at Turning Stone is an experience you won't find anywhere else. We always offer fans, Free Admission, Free collectible posters (while supplies last) and once again Turning Stone will be giving away $10 free/match plays to all players and fans (1 per person while supplies last). So you get Free admission, Free posters and Free bets!! No one else does it like Turning Stone and the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour! Included in the Event Center at Turning Stone is a full service, moderately priced, snack bar serving all of our favorite foods and adult beverages. There will be billiard product vendors and on site cue repairs available for all your needs. Mike Burton of www.josscues.com will have a wide range of Joss Cues and Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Shirts. CJ and Peggi Wilkinson of www.baltimorecitycues.com will be here with their extensive cue, case and supplies display. Dan Dishaw, www.dishawcues.com will be on hand with his cues and expert on site cue repairs. Feng Zhao of www.lite-systems.com will be there with his custom LED billiard lighting and other billiard products. Victor Conte will be on hand promoting his new game as well. There is still time and room for new vendor or two at a mere fraction of what you would pay elsewhere. Interested parties should contact me at 518-356-7163 immediately.
We will once again be raffling off 2 gorgeous, custom, engraved Joss Cues on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday immediately prior to the final match and you Do Not have to be present to win. These cues have a retail value of $1,500 each and are generously provided by Danny Janes of Joss Cues Ltd. Thanks again to Danny, Debbie & Stephen Janes for all they do for us!! We will also choose a winning ticket to receive the Pro Cup cue ball used in the final match autographed by the winner.
So come to Turning Stone Resort Casino August 22-25 for a great experience and 4 full days of some of the best pool you will ever witness. If for some reason you are unable to make it, there will be a Free live stream and live scoring expertly provided by Mike Howerton, Jerry Forsyth & Upstate Al Leon of www.azbilliards.com & The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour and Turning Stone Resort Casino. Match times are Thursday 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Friday 10 am, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Saturday 10 am, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Sunday 11 am, 1, 3, 5, and the final match at 7 pm.
Our upcoming 2019-2020 season, complete with 15 regular billiard parlor plus 2 Turning Stone events, will begin on Sept 21 & 22 at TJ's Classic Billiards in Waterville ME. The new season will also include our 4th"Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 25, 2020 at Sharp Shooters in Amsterdam NY. If you would like to donate items to be given to the future generation of our great sport, please contact me at 518-356-7163. Also be advised that our next Turning Stone Classic XXXIII 9-Ball Open is scheduled for January 9-12, 2020. I will begin taking entries for that event at this event in August. For more information and a complete schedule of events, go to www.joss9balltour.com
Nico Famiglietti, Bryzen Manipula, Tim Berlin (Owner), Frank Spain III and Justin Bogdanffy
Congratulations to our new Joss Junior Champions Frank Spain III in the 18 & under division and Bryzen Manipula in the 12 & under. Both players went undefeated in their respective divisions to claim their titles and qualify the to go the the BEF/BCA National Championships in Las Vegas in July. Also qualifying for the nationals was 2nd place finisher in the 18 under, Justin Bogdanffy and 2nd and 3rd finishers in the 12 under, Nico Famiglietti & Dereck Graven. Our formats for the events were, double elimination races to 9/7 on the 9 footers for the 18 under and races to 7/5 on the 7 footers for the 12 under, played at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sposrt Pub in Amsterdam NY.
It was a fun day of pool watching these talented youngsters compete with some as young as 7 years old. Most were playing in their first tournament ever. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even though they were very serious in trying to win. All players were treated to a table full of donated items to choose from, plus free raffles for the larger items. Many thanks go out to the many people and companies that generously donated products and their time to help. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel & Kevin Bauccio. And thank you to everyone else involved.
Here are the official results for both events:
18 & Under:
1st Frank Spain III (Joss Cue & case, trophy, plus Cuetec cue & case from raffle)
2nd Jusin Bogdanffy (trophy)
3rd Dale Graven (LoreeJon Hasson autographed Pro Cup cue ball – raffle)
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be hosting its 3rd "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 26 & 27, 2019. The event will take place at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam NY – www.sharpshootersbilliards.com At Sharp Shooters there is something for everyone. From a friendly game of Pool, Foosball, or Darts to meeting friends out for some great food, drinks & to watch the game – Sharp Shooters has it! And now they even have professional Bocce Ball courts downstairs. A fun and friendly atmosphere for all ages! Tim & Julie Berlin have been most generous to our tour having 3 regular season events both at Sharp Shooters and Trick Shot Billiards & Sports Pub, and now donating the use of their room for our Junior event. Many thanks to them for their continued support of the game.
Many people and companies have generously donated products and their time to help. I would like to acknowledge and thank them all as it is because of them that each participant will receive some of their items. There will also be free raffles for the players for some of the larger items. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Steven W. Smith, Dave Dreidel & Kevin Bauccio. And thank you to everyone else, who has been, or will be involved. Any top or Pro players are encouraged to drop by if you have the time and are in the neighborhood. I'm sure the kids would love to meet you!
This time we have partnered up with the BEF & BCA to make this event a qualifier for their Junior Nationals in Las Vegas in July. More info can be found here: https://www.billiardeducation.org/
The event will consist of 2 divisions that will run concurrently. There will be an 18 and under plus a 12 and under tournament. Entry fees are $25 per event. Doors will open at 10:30 am Saturday January 26th and final registration is at 11:30 am. The format will be: races to 9, double elimination, on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under group and races to 7, double elimination, on the 7 foot Diamonds for the 12 and under kids. The winners of each division will receive a beautiful Joss Cue and case and trophy. Please keep in mind that due to attendance, some things could change. FYI, I have run hundreds of tournaments but this is only our 3rd Junior event. The ultimate goal is for everyone to have a great time!
For more information or to let us know of your intention to come (which is encouraged), please contact one of us. Tim Berlin – 518-944-6797, or Mike Zuglan – 518-356-7163
For those in need of accommodations, there are 2 nearby motels. Super 8, 5502 Rt 30, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-843-5888 & Valley View Inn, 1351 NY Rt 5s, Amsterdam NY 12010 – 518-842-5637. Other motels may be found by searching the Schenectady & Amsterdam NY area.
On another note, I am currently taking entries for our $25,000 Added "Turning Stone Classic XXXII 9-Ball Open" to be held on August 22-25, 2019. I strongly suggest entering now to avoid being shut out as I currently have about 50 paid entries and I have only been accepting entries for less than a week!!. Contact me at 518-356-7163 for entry info.
Thanks everyone and I hope you all come to Sharp Shooters to see the youth of our game in action & having fun!
Mike Zuglan
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
Mike Zuglan's Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour and Turning Stone Resort Casino are proud to present our 2017-2018 Season Finale, The $25,000 Added, "Turning Stone Classic XXX 9-Ball Open". This event will take place in Turning Stone's beautiful & spacious Event Center which has become known worldwide as one of the best venues ever. There are no bad seats, and the layout allows you to mingle with all of your favorite players and friends, giving you the feeling of being part of the action yourself. If you have never been to Turning Stone, located in Verona NY, you simply don't know what you are missing. Check them out at www.turningstone.com
For an unprecedented 30th time, we will have a full field of 128 players with no shortage of past, present and future Champions. Shane Van Boening, Jayson Shaw, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Mika Immonen, Karen Corr & for the first time LoreeJon Hasson are just a few of the legends signed up for this event. But let's not count out our Joss Tour regulars like Matt Tetreault, Nelson Oliveira, Bucky Souvanthong, Ron Casanzio & this season's tour point champ Bruce Nagle, who just to name a few, all have a legitimate chance of making history. So look for anything to happen when the smoke clears on Sunday night. I am pleased to also announce that once again this a BCA ranking event for US players looking for invitations to many world events. The complete player list is on our site www.joss9balltour.com
There will once again be a "Second Chance" tournament on Sunday August 26th at 10AM running continuously and concurrently with the main event until completed. This is an extra event for those Non Pro level players (I will decide) eliminated from the main event. The event format will be as follows: $60 Entry Fee – 32 Player Max – same rules as main event – Single Elimination – Races to 4, best 2 of 3 sets, with the deciding set being a single game sudden death. This means that if each player wins a race to 4, there will be a lag for the break and a 1 game playoff to determine the match winner. Entries will be taken for this tournament as players are eliminated from the main event and will be treated as first paid – first in until the event is full.
The equipment for our world class event will once again be 16, 9 foot Diamond Pro tables & lights covered with 860 Simonis ("The Cloth Of Champions") tournament blue cloth. We will be using the new Aramith Tournament TV Pro Cup balls. Thanks again to Ivan Lee for providing us with the world's best cloth and the world's best billiard balls! All of these items will be for sale in tournament used condition, and only seriously interested parties are urged to contact Mike Zuglan immediately at 518-356-7163 for info and pricing.
Being a spectator at Turning Stone is an experience you won't find anywhere else. We always offer fans, Free Admission, Free collectible posters (while supplies last) and once again Turning Stone will be giving away $10 free/match plays to all players and fans (1 per person while supplies last). So you get Free admission, Free posters and Free bets!! No one else does it like Turning Stone and the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour! Included in the Event Center at Turning Stone is a full service snack bar serving all of our favorite foods and adult beverages. There will be billiard product vendors and on site cue repairs available for all your needs. We will also be raffling off 2 gorgeous, custom, engraved Joss Cues on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday immediately prior to the final match and you Do Not have to be present to win. These cues have a retail value of $1,200 each and are generously provided by Danny Janes of Joss Cues Ltd. Thanks again to Danny, Debbie & Stephen Janes for all they do for us!! We will also choose a winning ticket to receive the Pro Cup cue ball used in the final match autographed by the winner.
So come to Turning Stone Resort Casino August 23-26 for a great experience and 4 full days of some of the best pool you will ever witness. If for some reason you are unable to make it, there will be a Free live stream and live scoring expertly provided by Mike Howerton, Jerry Forsythe & Upstate Al Leon of www.azbilliards.com & The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour and Turning Stone Resort Casino. Match times are Thursday 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Friday 10 am, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Saturday 10 am, noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 pm. Sunday 11 am, 1, 3, 5, and the final match at 7 pm.
Our upcoming 2018-2019 season, complete with 16 regular billiard parlor plus 2 Turning Stone events, will begin on Sept 22 & 23 at TJ's Classic Billiards in Waterville ME. The new season will also include our 3rd "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 26 & 27, 2019 at Sharp Shooters in Amsterdam NY. If you would like to donate items to be given to the future generation of our great sport, please contact me at 518-356-7163. Also be advised that our next Turning Stone Classic XXXI 9-Ball Open is scheduled for January 3-6, 2019. I will begin taking entries for that event at this event in August. For more information and a complete schedule of events, go to www.joss9balltour.com
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
