Stamps returning to familiar territory
The Calgary Stampeders will play in the Grey Cup game for a third straight year after downing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 22-14 in Sunday’s CFL Western Final. Eric Rogers led the Stampeders with three touchdown catches, including a 10-yard leaping grab late in the fourth quarter. Calgary faces the Ottawa Redblacks in next Sunday’s Grey Cup in Edmonton.
The Redblacks downed the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 46-27 earlier Sunday to win the Eastern Final.
Ottawa will attempt to win its second Grey Cup in three years after beating the Stampeders in the championship game two years ago.
Calgary’s third consecutive appearance in the Grey Cup game is a franchise record.
The Stampeders were favoured to win the last two Grey Cups, but lost to Toronto and Ottawa. The Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 2014.
The last team to appear in three straight Grey Cups was the 200810 Montreal Alouettes. The Als won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Winnipeg’s Justin Medlock kicked four field goals for the visitors Sunday, including a 57-yarder for a CFL playoff record, in front of an announced crowd of 29,268 at McMahon Stadium. Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 17 of 31 passes for 214 yards and three touchdown throws. Mitchell joins a select group of CFL quarterbacks to lead their teams to a playoff win in five straight years.
Ron Lancaster, Russ Jackson, Doug Flutie and Tracy Ham are the others.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers starter Matt Nichols was 15-for-32 passing for 156 yards.
The Stampeders topped the division and the CFL with a 13-5 record in the regular season. Calgary started 9-2 and went 4-3 down the stretch to secure a firstround bye.
The Blue Bombers finished third in the West at 10-8. Winnipeg was 5-7 after its home-and-home series against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and went 6-1 en route to Sunday’s Western Final. Winnipeg beat the Roughriders 23-18 in Regina in the division semifinal.
Sunday’s second half was largely devoid of offence until six minutes left in the game. Mitchell’s 21-yard pass to Richie Sindani followed by an 18-yard Don Jackson run and a 15-yard catch from Lemar Durant put the hosts in scoring range for Mitchell’s clinching touchdown throw to Rogers.