RENO, Nev. - Mark Buffa of Montreal and his teammates traveled to the 2013 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships to work on their team play and communication as they prepare to represent Team Canada at the 2013 World Tenpin Bowling Association World Championships this August in Las Vegas.

They walked away from the National Bowling Stadium on Saturday with a little bit more after Buffa rolled the 12th perfect game of the 2013 USBC Open Championships and led Leaf Lovers of Justin, Texas, into third place in Regular Team with a 3,509 total, the fifth-highest team set in tournament history. Lodge Lanes Too of Orlando, Fla., leads this year with a record score of 3,538.

Buffa sandwiched his 300 between games of 259 and 225 for a 784 series, which included a string of 21 consecutive strikes. The 30-year-old right-hander helped Leaf Lovers to opening games of 1,136 and 1,217, and they stepped up in their final frame with a shot at the lead, before falling just short with 1,156.

Former Professional Bowlers Association exempt player Patrick Girard contributed a 721 series for Leaf Lovers and was followed by David Simard (720), George Lambert IV (666) and Francois Lavoie (618).

"We were using this to prepare for the World Championships in August," said Buffa, who made his second Open Championships appearance. "Francois is the newest member of the team, so this was a good way for us to learn how to communicate, and we did that extremely well today. We had a game plan coming out and executed it well."

Buffa and Lambert helped Team Canada capture the trios gold medal at the 2012 Pan American Bowling Confederation Adult Championships, and the group's experience and ability to communicate played a key role in helping Buffa finish off his perfect game at the NBS.

"We were going through a little bit of transition going into the last few frames," said Buffa, the 2008 Canadian Tenpin Federation Bowler of the Year. "The guys were telling me what they were seeing. I kind of went a little high in the ninth, so I made an adjustment in the 10th. I just wanted to make good shots, keep smiling the whole way and that was it. I pured the first and second shots but kind of fluffed the third one a bit. It held, and the 7 pin fell late."

Although the talented group fell short of the Regular Team lead, they have their eyes set on making a run at Team All-Events.

"The goal was to come out and have a good showing," Buffa said. "We knew what we wanted to do, and it worked out well, but being a few pins short leaves a sour taste in your mouth. At the 2010 World Championships, we missed a medal in the team event by 46 pins, so the feeling is reminiscent of that, but it still feels great. We're looking forward to tomorrow and have a good start toward Team All-Events. That's what we're aiming for now."

Presenting sponsors for the 2013 USBC Open Championships include Circus Circus Reno, Eldorado Hotel Casino Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino Reno.