CALGARY 34 HAMILTON 32
The Calgary Stampeders secured second place in the CFL's West Division with a 34-32 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.
When the Tiger-Cats attempted a 30-yard field goal for the win on the final play of the game, the ball slipped from the fingers of holder Andy Fantuz and Luca Congi didn't get the kick away.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders' 34-28 loss to the Montreal Alouettes earlier Saturday opened the door for Calgary (10-6) to confirm a division semifinal game at McMahon Stadium on Nov. 11.
The sa国际传媒 Lions (12-4) had claimed first in the division via a win over Edmonton the previous night. The Lions have a bye and will host the division final Nov. 18.
Jon Cornish scored a pair of touchdowns for Calgary. He's chasing Normie Kwong for the most running yards by a Canadian in a single season, but wintry conditions weren't kind to the running game. With 27 yards Saturday, the New Westminster native is 136 away from Kwong's record set in 1956.
Keon Raymond ran back an interception for a major, Maurice Price scored his first career touchdown and backup quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell finished a drive for Calgary, who improved to 6-2 home.
Bakari Grant and Chris Williams each had touchdown catches and Chevon Walker had a rushing major for Hamilton (5-11). Luca Congi was good on two of three field goal attempts. Fantuz had a two-point convert catch in the fourth quarter.
The Ticats weren't mathematically eliminated from the post-season with the loss, but their playoff odds remain long with two games remaining in the regular season.
Saturday's game marked the return of quarterback Henry Burris to McMahon for the first time since he was traded to the Ticats in the off-season.
The man who led Calgary to a Grey Cup in 2008 completed 24 of 33 passing attempts for two touchdowns. He was intercepted twice and sacked six times.
Stampeder quarterback Kevin Glenn was 22-for-34 in passing with a pair of touchdown passes, but he was intercepted four times.
Snow squalls made for a slick McMahon surface. Sloppy conditions made for a wild game with 10 turnovers in total.
Announced attendance was 26,542. The haze from Calgary's post-touchdown fireworks mixed with snow to reduce visibility of the field.
The snowblowers and shovels were out at halftime in an attempt to give the end zone and sidelines definition.
Conditions cleared briefly in the fourth quarter, but the snow was falling again with three minutes to go.
Walker's one-yard dive for a major with a minute remaining pulled Hamilton within two points. Burris's attempt at a two-point convert pass to Dave Stala sailed over the slotback's fingers.
But Onrea Jones recovered Congi's on-side kick and with 52 seconds remaining, the Ticats were in position for a winning field goal. Fantuz fielded the snap, but when he set the ball on its end, it slipped. Time ran out in the ensuing scramble for the ball.
Mitchell finished a scoring drive with a one-yard plunge to give the Stamped-ers a 34-26 lead and some breathing room at 12: 21.
Burris combined with Williams on a 30-yard major at 1: 29 and followed up with a successful two-point convert pass to Fantuz.
Calgary still led 27-24 at that point, but Glenn was intercepted on Calgary's next two possessions by Ricardo Colclough and Dominique Harris respectively. Calgary's lead shrunk to one point at 8: 37 when they conceded a safety.
Cornish's second major of the night was a seven-yard charge across the line at 9: 38 of the third quarter for a 27-16 lead.
Glenn and Price connected on a 56-yard scoring play at 2: 38 to make it 20-16, but Calgary's two-point convert attempt failed.
Congi's missed 42-yard attempt with less than a minute to go in the half allowed the hosts to lead 14-13 at halftime. Hamilton had also scored points off a single and a safety in the second quarter.
The Ticats re-gained the lead, however, on his 44-yard field goal at 1: 17 of the third quarter.
Calgary took the lead for the first time in the game on Glenn's seven-yard pass to Cornish in the end zone at 9: 08 of the second quarter.
Calgary hosts the Lions on Friday and Hamilton is at home to Winnipeg on Saturday.
