The CFL's playoff rounds are underway and the first round offered up some high scoring action from the East and a family feud in the West that sees a familiar team back in the forefront of playoff football.
One game, one of those matches that CFL fans will talk about for more than a few years, the other perhaps a forgettable game for all those except for the hometown fans, who got the desired result against a rival, but with little in the way of a competitive battle along the way.
Hamilton at Montreal
The Alouettes, defending Grey Cup champions that they are, won't be heading to Vancouver to defend their title this year, coming out on the wrong end of the highest scoring playoff game in CFL history, as the Tiger Cats (despite their best efforts at times) persevered to claim a 52-44 Overtime victory and a berth in next week's Eastern Final in Winnipeg.
It's a rare occasion when your starting quarterback can amass more than 500 yards in offence and still end up losing the game, but such was the case on Sunday as Anthony Calvillo filled the Olympic Stadium's airspace with footballs all in a cause for naught as the Tiger Cats answered each and every drive with a successful one of their own.
Defense it was clear was not the strong point in Sunday's playoff opener, which saw both teams unleash their offences, a collection of players that hadn't particularly sparkled in the last few weeks of the regular season.
The sixty minutes of regular time and the overtime session featured incredible passes, remarkable catches and hard driving runs, lighting up the Olympic Stadium scoreboard to the point that perhaps the Fire Marshall may have been concerned about overloaded circuits.
While Montreal didn't go down without a fight, the end of the dynasty seemed to be nigh last week in Vancouver when the Alouettes looked terrible, they rebounded to a degree on Sunday but the problems that plagued them through the year seemed to be on display once again, mainly defensive this time around, though to be fair, the Als secondary in particular bore little resemblance to the one that hoisted the Grey Cup last year.
The Cats, who have been a team that seemed on the cusp of success for the last few years, finally found a way to close out the deal, though not without a few tense moments for head coach Marcel Bellefeuille, who watched as they stumbled through the final seconds of regulation and then mishandled the clock to deny them a game winning field goal, leaving it to Kevin Glenn to construct the game winning drive in overtime complete with the two point conversion.
Montreal now moves on to rebuilding, the dynasty officially at an end, the areas of concern clear for all to review. Hamilton, flush with victory now moves on to the Eastern Final and a showdown against the Bombers in Winnipeg on Sunday.
Winnipeg has had no shortage of injuries to deal with in the last few weeks, stumbling to the finish of the regular season, for Hamilton who are coming off such an exciting victory, the prospect of another upset would seem more than within reach.
Globe and Mail-- Tiger-Cats upset Alouettes
National Post-- Ticats reach East final with wild overtime win over Alouettes
Toronto Star-- Ticats stun Alouettes in OT
Toronto Sun-- Ticats defeat Als in 'game for the ages'
Hamilton Spectator-- Ticats win east semi 52 -33 over Als
Canada.com-- Death of Alouettes dynasty wasn't pretty
Calgary at Edmonton
The Calgary Stampeders may very well be Drew Tate's team now, but the Stamps quarterback will have to wait until the spring now to put more of a stamp on his squad.
The Stampeders couldn't match the intensity and production of the Edmonton Eskimos on Sunday afternoon, losing the Western semi-final at a cold, windswept Commonwealth Stadium by a score of 33-19.
The undoing of the Stampeders quest to make it a road trip roll to the Grey Cup came in the second quarter, when the Eskimos took advantage of Calgary miscues and turnovers to put their stamp on the CFL semi final.
Edmonton made good on those opportunities, including a key fumble by Drew Tate which turned into an Eskimo defensive touchdown, part of the second quarter flurry of scoring that set the Eskimos up for their victory by half time.
The Eskimos defence, which has been strong all season long, once again rose to the occasion, putting the finishing touches on the Stamps exit from their duties this CFL season.
Tate, who took a nasty tumble in the latter stages of the second quarter never came back into the game, replaced at the half by Henry Burris, who perhaps in his swan song as a Stampeder quarterback, could not deliver the victory that would have made for a rather interesting side story to the game.
Instead, he was sacked a number of times, chased around the field more often than not and skipped balls to receivers off the turf, not quite the Burris we remembered of sharp crisp passes and dangerous options for the running game.
Still, he didn't receive much help from his team mates, a theme on the year as a matter of fact and so, the Burris era most likely has come to an end in Calgary, while the Stamps will have to review where they go from here in a most disappointing season.
Disappointment isn't the word around Edmonton these days, in fact confidence and a renewed sense of place seems to be the way the winds are blowing from Northern Alberta. The Eskimos who were supposed to be in a rebuilding phase this year, instead looked very much like those dominating Green and Gold teams of the past, stumbling a bit at mid season, they regrouped and never seemed to fall too far off the pace in the CFL West, but one win from hosting the CFL Western Final.
Ricky Ray while not as spectacular as his counterparts of the east on this day, still had a fairly successful day of it, finding his receivers at key times, keeping the Stampeder defence guessing as to what was ahead and once again providing that steady hand on the tiller that Eskimo fans have seen all season long.
On another day of positives, the only negative for Kavis Reed may be the status of Jerome Messam, who having had a remarkable season with Edmonton was injured in the latter stages of the game, limping off the field in visible pain, perhaps not to be seen again until the CFL Awards at the Grey Cup.
If that indeed is his scenario, the Eskimos will have to dig in a little deeper next week against the Lions if they hope to make that trip with him to the Grey Cup in two weeks.
Edmonton Sun-- Esks dump Stamps 33-19
Edmonton Journal-- Eskimos defence shuts down Stamps
Calgary Sun-- Stamps' season over
Calgary Herald-- Stampeders find ways to beat themselves in CFL West ...
Globe and Mail-- Eskimos eliminate Stampeders
National Post-- Eskimos off to West final with win over Stampeders
Canada.com-- Second quarter stinker ends Stamps' season
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