Alouettes headed to East final at Toronto after striking early in win over Tiger-Cats
CBC
After a 2-6 start to the season, the Montreal Alouettes now find themselves one victory away from a Grey Cup berth.
The Alouettes led from start to finish in a 28-17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East semifinal on Sunday to lock up a spot in next weekend's division final in Toronto.
"I'm so proud of the players," said Alouettes general manager and interim coach Danny Maciocia. "It wasn't an easy year for them on or off the field and they never quit. Sometimes it's hard to explain, you just have to live it to understand and these guys lived it.
Montreal rebounded in the second half of the regular season to finish 9-9. The Alouettes started strong on Sunday and locked up the win when David Cote kicked a field goal with 16 seconds remaining.
Trevor Harris threw for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Walter Fletcher and Dominique Davis scored rushing touchdowns.
WATCH | Alouettes ride balanced attack to berth in CFL East final:
Fletcher flew under the radar since he was acquired from the Edmonton Elks in June but has proven to be a worthy asset for the Als.
"This opportunity has been a blessing," he said. "When I got that call that I got traded, I really didn't know what to think about it. Fast forward to now it's just been a tremendous journey.
"It's been some ups and downs throughout the year but overall, I think it's coming together and I'm very happy to hit my stride at the right time."
Dane Evans threw for 123 yards and one interception. Former Alouettes pivot Matthew Shiltz came on in the third quarter to throw for 127 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
With the loss, Hamilton will miss the East final for the first time since 2017.
"It feels terrible. It's something we're not accustomed to," Steinauer said. "We don't really want to get used to it but today we didn't execute well enough to move on in [the] playoffs.
"Emotionally, it's tough. It's new for us here in recent history but right now it's reality."
Chandler Worthy made a 49-yard return on the opening kickoff. Four plays later, Harris found Jake Weineke with a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Montreal an early 7-0 lead.
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