When the Alouettes took off, the Montreal team was on leave for a week.
The Alouettes won a second game in a row for the first time in 2022 on Saturday, beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 29-28. The week before, they had inflicted a first defeat this season on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by beating them 20-17 in overtime.
“I always say that if you have a bye after a win, it’s like another win, but if he comes after a loss, it’s like another loss, said receiver Eugene Lewis. We just won two games. We are in good spirits. The injured will have time to heal. »
The margin between victory and defeat has been slim for the Alouettes since the start of the campaign. They have found a way to be on the safe side in their last two meetings. However, interim head coach and general manager Danny Maciocia was well aware that his troops had been playing with fire against the Tiger-Cats by taking more stupid penalties.
“If you have any ideas, come see us in our office,” Maciocia replied when a reporter asked what to do to finally fix his team’s indiscipline problem.
“I think our team is quite mature, with veterans who will talk about this situation on the return,” continued Maciocia. We’re going to focus on the positive today. We found a way to get a lot of yards to get a field goal. »
Kicker David Côté was the hero of the game, netting a 48-yard field goal on the last play of the game. He was soon joined by his teammates on the pitch as the raucous crowd celebrated.
“Like a big family”
It was the family game for the Alouettes, which did not go unnoticed by Maciocia.
“I told the players that we are like a big family and that we will also have our ups and downs, our moments of adversity in a game, he said. But we have to take care of each other and overcome these challenges. That’s what we did today. »
Maciocia also believes that his team continues to grow in his “process”.
“Character is part of the process. Failures are part of the process. Adversity is part of the process. Resilience is part of the process, he listed. We’re working hard on this to get everyone on board, knowing that you’re never going to play a perfect game, that I’m never going to direct a perfect game. But if we believe in it and take care of each other, anything is possible. But you have to believe it. »
Lewis said it would have been easy for the Alouettes to give up late in the last two games. This was not the case and it is at this level where he has seen the biggest difference within the team for the past few weeks.
For his part, quarterback Trevor Harris spoke about the culture that Maciocia and his assistants are trying to develop — something that doesn’t happen by shouting scissors, Maciocia admitted.
“Culture is how you act and react all the time,” Harris said. During the week of preparation, I could feel that we were focused, that we acted as a team with one goal in mind: to win. »
Saturday’s victory allowed the Alouettes (4-6) to climb to second place in the East Division, ahead of the Tiger-Cats (3-7). The Toronto Argonauts (4-5) still hold first place despite a 22-19 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night.
The Alouettes will play their next game on September 2, when they host the Ottawa Redblacks.