No Grey Cup championship has ever been won in June.
We must be careful and not get ahead of ourselves when digesting what the Alouettes accomplished in their opening game of the season Thursday night in Hamilton.
But Montreal’s electrifying 30-27 overtime victory against the Tiger-Cats at Hamilton Stadium told only a small portion of this story.
Forget for a moment that the Als won on the road against the team that figures to be their stiffest competition in the East Division. Montreal did it without three offensive starters — fully one-quarter of the unit.
Receiver and tailback Travis Theis departed in the opening quarter. Theis was injured after a pair of carries on the Als’ opening drive, while Spieker left after making one catch for 22 yards. Centre Justin Lawrence — in the 100th game of his CFL career — suffered a lower-body injury in the second quarter and was seen on crutches later.
This might have deflated most teams. But not the Als.
The Ticats scored a touchdown to end the first half on a one-yard run by Ante Milanovic-Litre. Then they added another midway through the third quarter on a short pass to Keric Wheatfall, providing Hamilton with a 24-10 lead.
Alouettes kicker Jose Maltos-Diaz celebrates his game-winning overtime field goal in Hamilton on Thursday night. Peter Power / Postmedia News
This might have deflated most teams. But not the Als.
The visitors took an incredible 11 penalties for 118 yards. That included two time-count violations and an objectionable-conduct infraction against defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe — for blocking the view of an official, of all things, something we’ve never seen called. Yeah, they were out of sync and undisciplined.
This might have deflated most teams. But not the Als.
“They compete on every play,” head coach Jason Maas told the media in Hamilton. “They’re very connected. They believe, and that’s what I love about them. Obviously, any time you play a football game, anything can happen. But if you play hard, play together and play for one another, good things usually happen.
“It doesn’t matter if we’re up or down; they just keep playing, keep competing. And that’s what I’m always so proud of this group for.”
Good teams find a way to win. The Als, who reached the Grey Cup last season — losing to Saskatchewan — are a good team. And as long as quarterback Davis Alexander is healthy, would you want to bet against them?
Alexander completed 26 of 38 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns — to Tyler Snead and an incredible one-handed catch by in the end zone despite tight coverage from cornerback Greg Junior.
Snead was simply magnificent while compensating for the loss of Spieker. caught nine passes for 163 yards, including a 70-yarder. Philpot caught seven passes for 76 yards. And Alexander improved to 12-0 in the regular season — the Cup defeat the only blemish in a promising career that began in 2022.
“This is an experienced group,” Alexander said. “We went through a lot last year. We had a couple of comeback wins last year. We went through a tough stretch, but as coach Maas says, ‘We don’t lose; we learn.’ That’s the motto we carry. We expect that standard here, and if you’re not meeting the standard, we’re going to fix it.”
The game turned in the third quarter, when defensive-back Robert Kennedy III intercepted Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Myron Mitchell, returning it 54 yards for a touchdown. That reduced Hamilton’s lead to 24-17. Kennedy spent two weeks on the Ticats’ practice roster in 2024.
“No redemption at all,” Kennedy said. “I actually don’t tell people I was here whenever I speak of my journey. They (Hamilton) didn’t see the best of me, but today they clearly did.”
Alouettes defensive-back Kabion Ento taunts the crowd after his fumble recovery during second half against the Tiger Cats in Hamilton on Thursday night. Peter Power / Postmedia News
Kennedy was the hero again in overtime, stripping the ball from Wheatfall, the fumble recovered by cornerback Kabion Ento. Three plays later, after a pair of 13-yard runs by Shomari Lawrence, Jose Maltos-Diaz kicked the winning 17-yard field goal — one of three on the night, including a 29-yarder on the final play of regulation time.
That final drive, with 2:03 remaining, began at the Montreal 33 and included three successful third-down gambles. The last came from the Hamilton 25 with 34 seconds left as backup quarterback Dustin Crum gained two yards when the Als easily could have attempted the tying field goal.
Maas is a riverboat gambler, if nothing else, and has divine confidence in his team.
“The (Kennedy interception) just changed the whole complexion of the game,” Maas said. “All of the momentum was with them and, all of a sudden it was with us for a moment. We scratched and clawed to get it into overtime. When the opportunities come, you’ve got to make those plays.
“It was a great back-and-forth game. That’s what the CFL is. Any time you come into a rival’s building and get a win, it’s a big deal.”
The Als went 6-3 on the road last season, but struggled at Molson Stadium, going 4-5. Montreal entertains Toronto next Friday night. The Argonauts have a bye in the schedule this week.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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