SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Peter Zmozynski is part of what the Buffalo News identifies as one of the first families of bowling in Western New York, and along with being considered royalty of sorts at home, he forever will be a celebrity at the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships, where he rolled a perfect game Wednesday during his team event.

The 39-year-old right-hander from Depew, New York, closed the first set of his 2018 tournament campaign with the second 300, first in team competition, this year at the Oncenter Convention Center.

Zmozynski started with games of 236 and 209, and as he got closer to solidifying his place in tournament history, he relied on a combination of experience and a laid-back group of teammates to help him finish the task.

"I'm ecstatic right now, especially since the first time I ever bowled this event was here in 1999, and I'm from Buffalo, which isn't too far away," Zmozynski said. "I've had the front eight at this tournament once before, but as I got closer this time, my friends were talking to me about other things, and that helped take my mind off of it."

Zmozynski's career-best 745 series helped Friendly Foes Too to games of 973, 933 and 1,029 for a 2,935 total, which is just inside the top 20 in Regular Team this year. S&B Pro Shop 1 of Warren, Michigan, leads with 3,322.

Having his close friends there to share the moment with him made it that much more special, especially since it was an invite from friends that led to his tournament debut in 1999, and fun vacations with his current group is part of what keeps him coming back.

"After I got the ninth one, I mentioned to my friend Phil that it's the farthest I've gotten here, and then I got up in the 10th, really focused, took a deep breath like my grandfather always told me and just kept going," said Zmozynski, who made his 18th USBC Open Championships appearance. "It's the best feeling in the world, to be honest, and I just don't know how to describe it. The only thing I could do better would be to win an Eagle."

Wednesday's success at the Oncenter Convention Center is the continuation of a successful 2018 that includes a recent team title at the annual Niagara Falls
Bowling Association Tournament.

He also is the clubhouse leader in Scratch Singles and Scratch All-Events at the tournament with 813 and 2,330, respectively. He had 823 in team and 694 in doubles. The event is scheduled to conclude Sunday.

Bowling is a tradition for the Zmozynski family, and even rotator cuff surgeries in 2009 and 2015 couldn't keep Zmozynski from returning to the lanes as soon as it was possible.

"I just love bowling," said Zmozynski, a corrections officer who bowls regularly at The Edge Bowling Center in Buffalo. "I've done it since I was 4 years old. My grandparents, my parents, my whole family bowls. It's something we've always done. It's a great family sport."

Zmozynski was joined on the lanes Wednesday by his brother Charles, and they'll be back at the Oncenter Convention Center on Thursday at 7 a.m. to see if they can catch Regular All-Events leader Kurt Pilon, who tops the standings with a 2,186 nine-game total.

The first perfect game of the 2018 Open Championships was rolled by USBC Hall of Famer Steve Kloempken of Pleasant View, Utah, on the way into the lead in Regular Doubles with former Team USA member David Haynes of Las Vegas.

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