EDMONTON – If not chic, the game was entertaining and the Alouettes won 35 to 21 against the Elks on Saturday in Edmonton.
Although this fourth consecutive victory brings a certain satisfaction to the Montreal club, interest in this game was diminished following a decisive defeat suffered by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats the day before.
Even before this game against the Elks, the Alouettes were assured of finishing second in the Eastern section of the Canadian Football League and, therefore, of playing a playoff game at home on November 4.
For lack of challenge, the defensive rigor sometimes suffered, on one side or the other, at the Commonwealth stadium, where several fans now seem to be impatiently awaiting the holding of the Heritage Classic, on October 29, between the Oilers and the Calgary Flames.
In the Alouettes’ victory, James Letcher Jr. dealt a hard blow to the Elks just before halftime. He took advantage of a missed field goal to return the ball 125 yards and score a touchdown. This put the Alouettes ahead 26-21 at the end of the first half.
Let the season end!
For the Elks (4-13) and the Alouettes (10-7), it’s time for the regular season to end in the Canadian Football League, but for different reasons. If the Edmonton club will inevitably miss the playoffs, the Montreal team already has the lead in the semi-final of the Eastern section.
The cliché will say that the Alouettes, who came through the front door to qualify, will now want to enter the playoffs with the wind in their sails. However, there is only one regular season game left to play, October 28 at Percival-Molson Stadium, against the Ti-Cats. These same two teams will then face each other in the Eastern semi-finals.
Head coach Jason Maas will take advantage of a week off to establish his game plan for the October 28 game. It’s a safe bet that neither the Alouettes nor the Tiger-Cats will then reveal their playbook. The two teams could also use this match to let several reserves play.
- For the Elks, Eugene Lewis took advantage of this match to surpass 5,000 career yards through the air in the Canadian Football League. Lewis had 4,347 yards in 67 games with the Alouettes, from 2017 to 2022.
- Quebecer Pier-Olivier Lestage was expelled from the match after allegedly spitting on an opponent.