We had sea legs with the Montreal Alouettes, after a 28-17 victory in the Eastern semi-finals at the expense of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Indeed, the head coach, Danny Maciocia, half-opened the door of his locker room by exposing to the journalists present at the Percival-Molson stadium the way in which he presented the playoff course, which he wishes as long as possible for his flock. .
” [Que ce groupe obtienne une première victoire en éliminatoires], it is enormous. During the second half of the season, I talked in detail about building a boat and that we were going to take this boat to the playoffs, said the man who compiled an 8-5 record at the head of the Alouettes in 2022. But you had to be careful who got on that boat. »
“We have now launched the boat for a three-week voyage. Our first stop was at 475 avenue des Pins. We needed to play a certain way [dimanche] to continue this journey. We decided to board all together. There is another stop at BMO Field. We can’t wait,” he added.
The players seem to have bought the allegory of the coach: some even mentioned it during post-match interviews.
“Everyone thought we were going to lose. But if you haven’t boarded our boat, stay away because we’re getting ready for Toronto now,” said Eugene Lewis, once again the Alouettes’ leading receiver with 7 catches for 98 yards in this game. .
“I’m happy: they tried everything against us, and everyone doubted our chances. But we did what we had to do. All their defensive backs, they all know the final score and that’s all I have to say, he added, taking the time to give all the numbers of the running backs of the Tiger-Cats. […] This victory is tasty; we’ll play again next week, while they go home, that’s all. »
“Offensively and defensively, we played a physical game. I just can’t wait to continue on this path for the next few weeks,” said guard Kristian Matte, an unofficial guide on this journey by virtue of his status as the only player to win a playoff game in a team uniform. Larks.
It is true that the weather was pretty good for the first leg of this cruise, although the first pitfall represented by the Ti-Cats was not overcome without exposing a few weak links in the Alouettes’ rope.
Once again, the attack had a mixed game, sailing under full sail in the first two quarters, before returning discreetly to its destination in the second half.
“The second half wasn’t fantastic offensively,” admitted Matte. You have to improve and play good football for four quarters. By watching the videos, we can identify what needs to be corrected. »
“Our game plan worked really well, we dominated in the first half. They made adjustments for the sequel, and we had a little trouble. We have to give them credit, but we never let go, ”he added.
“We won the game, but we’re not happy,” quarterback Trevor Harris said. We protected our lead in the second half. […] We can, and will, do better. »
Harris once again led his armada of receivers brilliantly, completing 27 passes to six different players — and attempting to reach seven in total — for a 79.4% completion rate, 243 yards, one touchdown against a single interception . He would now like his club to show a little more bite when it comes time to sink the opponent.
“That’s what good teams can do, and that’s how you win championships,” he said.
However, we must note the slowdown in the Alouettes’ attack in the second half: the team had to negotiate with a breakdown in its communications systems. Offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo lost all means of communicating his tactics to Harris, who had to rely on his own choices.
“I think I made good decisions,” he said. I attempted to execute the game plan. Our running game did the job in the second half. »
“We decided to give the ball to our carriers and spend time, get out of our area and collect a few points, for his part argued Maciocia. Our defence, given the way they played [dimanche], we knew we had enough points to get a win. »
It remains to be seen if the boat will take on water against the Argonauts or if the Alouettes will then sail towards Regina.