The green and Whyte will be on display in the CFL’s Western Final.
Sean Whyte’s last-second, 43-yard field goal on Saturday gave the B.C. Lions a 33-30 victory over the visiting Calgary Stampeders — and a berth in the West Division championship game against the top-seeded Saskatchewan Roughriders (Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“We’re super-excited,” Saskatchewan linebacker A.J. Allen said. “The stakes are high and that’s exactly what we’re looking for.”
B.C. got past Calgary even though the visitors had a decided advantage in first downs (26-15), net offensive yards (476-298) and time of possession (36:12-23:48).
Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 334 yards and two scores, whereas B.C.’s Nathan Rourke — who on Thursday was named the West’s Most Outstanding Player — registered just 223 aerial yards and did not throw for a score.
However, Rourke was at his finest in the game’s most crucial stages.
After Calgary’s Rene Paredes kicked a game-tying, 38-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Rourke moved the Lions 48 yards in just three plays. Whyte proceeded to settle matters and punch the Lions’ ticket to Saskatchewan.
“They never give up and they play hard,” Roughriders centre Logan Ferland said.
“I think their effort is the main thing that holds them together. You can tell. They play for each other and they won’t stop until the final whistle.”
That was clearly the case on Saturday, when the Lions outlasted the Stampeders and set up a fourth matchup with Saskatchewan this season.
The Roughriders won the regular-season series, 2-1. The third meeting, on Oct. 25 at Mosaic Stadium, did not have a bearing on the standings for a Saskatchewan team that had clinched first place 15 days earlier.
In the regular-season finale, the Lions — needing a win to nail down second place — scratched and clawed for a 27-21 victory even though an assortment of Saskatchewan starters were used selectively or not at all.
“It just instills confidence that when everyone’s healthy and we’re in our best state and our best form in playoff football, we’re going to be able to go out there and compete at a high level,” Allen said.
The victorious team on Nov. 8 will represent the West Division in the 112th Grey Cup Game, to be played on Nov. 16 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.
The Eastern Final, also slated for next Saturday, will pit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against the visiting Montreal Alouettes.
Before the Lions and Stampeders squared off, Montreal defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 42-33 at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
Winnipeg, which finished fourth in the West, was a crossover participant in the East playoffs. Saturday’s outcome snapped the Blue Bombers’ string of consecutive Grey Cup appearances at five.
After Winnipeg defeated the visiting Saskatchewan side 38-22 in last year’s Western Final, the Roughriders resolved to play the game at home in 2025.
Mission accomplished.
The Roughriders are preparing for the fourth home-field Western Final since the CFL adopted the sudden-death playoff format in 1972.
Previously, best-of-three or two-game-total-points series were the norm.
Saskatchewan won Western Finals on home turf in 1976 and 2009. Winnipeg won a 20-13 nailbiter at Mosaic Stadium in 2019 to begin its skein of Grey Cup appearances.
The balance of power changed in 2025 when Saskatchewan posted a league-best 12-6 record. The Roughriders improved to 12-4 while securing top spot. Thereafter, quarterback Trevor Harris played barely 1½ quarters over the final two regular-season games.
“I really feel good about where this group is at,” Harris said.
“We’re gearing up to be the team we need to be the third Sunday in November but, to get there, it’s just about the aggregate of marginal gains every day.
“For us, it’s just about approaching every day with a championship mentality.”
The Roughriders are to return to the practice field on Tuesday. The timing coincides with the beginning of extended hours at the Roughriders’ ticket office.
The Mosaic Stadium outlet will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate in-person or over-the-phone purchases of seats for the Western Final.
Tickets are also available anytime by visiting Riderville.com.
Another option is the newly created Co-op Community Zone, where tickets are only $20 — all taxes and fees included.
Co-op Community Zone seats, located in Mosaic Stadium’s 600 level, are available exclusively to Co-op members at any participating location in Saskatchewan.
Elsewhere in the stadium, available seats start at just $33, plus tax.
As well, the “Me + 3” package offers four adult tickets for the price of three.
And, as always, there is the Family Pack — two adult and two youth tickets for $99.