When the Montreal Alouettes take to the field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, a lot will be on the line; the Cats will want to gain ground on the Alouettes & Blue Bombers while the Alouettes will look to cement themselves a home playoff game. The playoff race is heating up and nothing is guaranteed.
Hamilton leads the season series, having won the first 2 games in the Hammer. But Montreal stormed back at home and the Ti-Cats haven’t had the best luck at Percival Molson Stadium. Anthony Calvillo has gotten the records he needed off his back, so now he can focus on getting these much-needed wins. Injuries have plagued the Alouettes and they haven’t had the impact they had in years previous, but they’ve found ways to win and excuses aren’t going to cut it as the team aims for a 3rd straight Grey Cup championship.
The Tiger-Cats have played hard and made the playoffs the past 2 seasons, even hosting semi-final games. But both times they have failed to advance to the Eastern final. The hope this past off-season was that Avon Cobourne would be the missing piece of the puzzle that would get them over the hump. He’s a 2-time Grey Cup champion and has never shied away from that fact. He has become the leader they’ve needed and will not simply roll over for his former teammates in Montreal.
The Blue Bombers have experienced a lot of lows and now finally have some highs this 2011 season. Their defense and clutch play has been the reasons that Winnipeg fans are now planning for a playoff game. They play the Alouettes at home next Saturday and depending on this upcoming game, could determine who hosts the Eastern Final. Montreal squeaked by last time at a hostile Canad Inns Stadium and the 3rd match up of these teams in that barn will amp it up to another level altogether.
Two of the Alouettes’ final four games will also feature 2 very tough teams in Calgary & BC. Both are looking to solidify their playoff spots and a win against the Alouettes will certainly help that cause. Thankfully the Calgary game is at Molson Stadium and like the Ti-Cats, they have not typically fared well in Montreal. Not a guarantee, but certainly worth considering.
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Gonna keep it short as game time is in a few short hours. I’m looking forward to seeing my friend Jack Bedell as he covers his second game at Molson Stadium this year. Even more impressive as Jack lives in Hammond, LA. You’d never expect anyone from the Cajun bayous of Louisiana to be a huge follower of the Canadian Football League, but Jack has probably forgotten more about the CFL than most Canadians will ever learn. Not just an Alouettes fan, but a CFL fan. And the last time Jack saw an Alouettes game live, they soundly defeated their opponents. Here’s hoping for a repeat performance!
Enjoy the game no matter where you watch it. And of course, I’ll be live-tweeting throughout the game. Make sure if you go to Molson Stadium, you come by early and head eastwards to the park for the LesGarsQuiVivent tailgate party.
GO ALS GO!!!
The ALSternative 