Mantolinos Collide At 2026 MPL 2PT Tournament - Nok Defeats Christian for Title.
- Cue Sports Nova Scotia
- Jan 3
- 3 min read
By Craig Teal.
January 3, 2026
Tournament Bracket: https://www.csns.ca/_files/ugd/2b0088_89d3059414784b219e4e11b4692eb4a5.pdf
Tournament Results: https://www.csns.ca/_files/ugd/2b0088_0fdc7727caac40a79dbf94b448ddc751.pdf
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January 3rd brought the 2026 edition of the annual Metro Pool League 2-Point Tournament, held at Dooly’s Portland. The league saw an increase in membership this season due to the addition of two new teams. Coupled with a surge in interest in tournament play, the entry list for the always popular flagship event filled to maximum capacity of 128 players by the day before play was scheduled to begin. A few players from the waiting list got in via late entry cancellations on the morning of the tournament, but for the first time in 25 years, some players had to be turned away because the field was full. Unfortunate for those who did not get in, but a great indication of the depth of the league.
Defending champion Colin MacDonald was in the field, as was former winners Brian White, Dave Boone, Nok Mantolino, Brad Doyle, and a host of former finalists. Female players represented 10% of the field (13 players). Saline Penney and Vikki Trenholm, both of Doolys Burnside ‘C’ team, went the deepest, each finishing in a tie for 33rd place.
The field whittled down to 4 undefeated players remaining. On one half, Christian Mantolino of Doolys Kempt ‘B’ moved past Colin MacDonald, also of Dooly’s Kempt ‘B’, to take a place in the A-Side final. The second A-Side finalist was Christian’s father, Nok Mantolino of Doolys Kempt ‘B’, who booked his victory over Dan Deal of Doolys Rockingham ‘A’. Nok then took the hot seat as the last undefeated player by beating Christian in the A-Side final.
On the B-Side, there is typically a player or two making a charge through the field, having suffered their first loss in the early rounds. This year, there were two such players that ended up on a collision course with each other. Milo Guevarra of Doolys Portland ‘C’ and Eric Bonneau of Doolys Kempt ‘B’ each won 6 straight B-Side matches before meeting each other. Milo won the match, leaving Eric in 13th-16th place. Meanwhile Milo advanced another match or two before succumbing to teammate Chris Penney, placing Milo 7th-8th. Mitch Tucker of Dooly’s Kempt ‘B’ also placed 7th-8th, having been repelled by Adam Cormier of Doolys Kempt ‘B’. Chris Penney then finished in 5th-6th place, being eliminated by Colin MacDonald. Adam Cormier shared the 5th-6th finish, ultimately losing to Dan Deal.
The 4th place match saw two-time champion Colin MacDonald being contested by Dan Deal, a former 1-Point Tournament Champion. Deal’s day would end here, having had a successful day seemingly punching above his weight class, but not being able to get past the formidable MacDonald.
With the hour getting late, the final 3 players, all representing Doolys Kempt ‘B’ team, agreed amongst themselves to reduce the race of the last matches to just one game. Christian relegated Colin to 3rd place in the B-Side final. In the Final, Nok secured his third MPL 2-Point title downing Christian in the father-son matchup.
As official winner of the event, Nok has qualified to represent Nova Scotia at the CBSA National 8-Ball Championships to be held later in 2026 at a location to be determined. In addition, the MPL provides paid entry and $500 travel allowance to the representative.
Thank you to manager Jen Reid, plus Heather and the staff of Doolys Portland for hosting the event. Thank you to Brian McNamara for live streaming the tournament. Thank you to tournament director and league President Dale Brimicombe for preparing and running another exceptional competition, aided by Paul Gunn and Glenn Nickerson.
Metro Pool League 2-PT Tournament Archives:
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