Geoff Montgomery and Dave Dreidel won their respective events in 8-ball and 9-ball at the Dutch Mill Holiday Classic, held on January 13-14, under the auspices of the Western New York Tour. The two came within a single match of playing against each other in both finals. Each event drew 20 entrants to the Dutch Mill Restaurant, Party House and Pool Room in Greece, NY. Montgomery picked up a second title at a Friday the 13th Warm-Up, a single elimination event, which drew 16 entrants.
As is often, though not always, the case in double elimination tournaments, the finalists met twice in these two events. In the 8-ball tournament, Dan Miosi defeated Montgomery in the hot seat match, only to be unseated by him in a single-game final. Dreidel had been defeated by Montgomery in the opening round of the 8-ball tournament. Dreidel won nine on the loss side to earn a re-match against Montgomery in the semifinals, but a second win sent Montgomery to the finals, where he defeated Miosi. In the 9-ball tournament, Dreidel came back from a loss in the hot seat match to double dip Montgomery in the finals.
The Friday night 'warm up,' which featured races to 4, saw Montgomery and Mark Hatch square off in one semifinal, as tour director Nick Brucato faced Phil Johnson in the other. Montgomery shut Hatch out, as Johnson squeaked by Brucato 4-3. Montgomery took the final 4-1 over Johnson to add $400 to his weekend prize package.
In the 8-ball event, with Dreidel already long at work on the loss side, Montgomery advanced to a winners' side semifinal against Chris Bassett, while Dan Niosi faced Jeff Purall. Montgomery and Niosi moved into the hot seat match with 3-1 victories, and by that same score, Niosi grabbed the hot seat from Miosi.
On the loss side, five matches in to his nine-match streak, Dreidel eliminated Jake Miosi (son to Dan) 3-1, to draw Purall. Bassett picked up Jason DeWolf, who'd just defeated Chad Strong 3-2.
The two loss-side combatants handed the recent arrivals from the winners' side their second straight defeat; Dreidel downing Purall 3-1 and DeWolf defeating Bassett, double hill.
Dreidel won the subsequent quarterfinal, double hill, over DeWolf, and got a second shot at Montgomery with a 3-1 victory over Dan Niosi in the semifinals. Montgomery ended Dreidel's streak 3-1 for a second shot against Miosi. That second shot played out in a single game final, won by Montgomery to claim the title. Lynette Cooper and Tracy Roth picked up $65 each as the event's top two female finishers.
In the more traditional, double-meet-up way, Dreidel and Montgomery first squared off in the 9-ball event's hot seat match. Montgomery had shut out Jeff Purcell, as Dreidel was busy sending Nick Brucato to the loss side in a double hill fight. In another double hill fight, Montgomery sent Dreidel to the semifinals and sat in the hot seat, having won his final match.
On the loss side, Purcell picked up Tracy Roth (on her way to a second 'top two females' cash award), who'd defeated Chad Strong, double hill. Brucato picked up the elder Miosi (Dan), who'd just eliminated Mindy Hagar 3-1 (Hagar picked up the second $30 cash prize for top female finisher). Purcell and Niosi advanced to the quarterfinals; Purcell 3-1 over Roth and Miosi, double hill over Brucato.
Purcell took the quarterfinal match 3-1 over Niosi, but had his loss-side streak ended 3-1 by Dreidel in the semifinals. Dreidel completed his much-shorter-this-time loss-side run with a 3-1 victory over Montgomery in the finals.
