Game Summary

The offensive sparks were flying at McGill Stadium yesterday as the Alouettes played host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The 16,205 fans in attendance knew they were in for a whale of a game when at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter, Maurice Kelly scooped up the ball after K Terry Baker’s punt was blocked and galloped 24 yards to the end zone. K Troy Westwood’s convert was good. However, Montreal responded quickly when Baker nailed a 24-yard FG at 7:02. This was followed by an 18-yard TD pass from QB Tracy Ham to WR Ben Cahoon at 8:07. RB Mike Pringle added a 9-yard rushing TD at 14:18 to complete the scoring in the quarter. On the same play he also broke the 2,000 yard rushing mark this season after breaking his own single season rushing record just a few plays before. This was the first time anyone has ever broken the 2,000 yard plateau in CFL history. Baker was good on both converts making the score 17-7. In second period, DL Steve Charbonneau opened the scoring when he blocked P Bob Cameron’s kick and then fell on the ball in the end zone just 55 seconds into action. Baker’s convert bumped Montreal’s lead to 17 points. RB Deland McCullough scored Winnipeg’s first offensive TD when he rumbling into the end zone from the 4-yard line at 5:14. Westwood’s convert was good. The see-saw battle continued as Ham found wideout Chris Armstrong in the end zone for a 23-yard play at 12:11. Baker’s convert made the score 31-14 for Montreal. Turnovers continued to play a large part in the game as LB Aaron Collins recovered a fumble and returned the ball 62 yards to the end zone, Westwood’s convert closed out the first half scoring in this wild half of play with the Alouettes leading by a 31-21 margin. In the third quarter, both teams continued to plagued by turnovers as LB Stefen Reid intercepted an errant pass by Kopp at 3:44 and returned it 85 yards to the end zone, upping Montreal’s lead to 17 points after Baker’s convert. Baker and Westwood exchanged FGs before the end of the period, making the score 41-24 heading into the final stanza of play. Baker opened the fourth quarter by nailing a 33-yard FG at 3:47. WR Tyree Davis further extended Montreal’s advantage by returning a punt 76 yards for the TD at 5:48. QB Jay Walker, who entered the game in relief of Kopp, found WR Milt Stegall for a pair of back-to-back TD receptions of 5 and 10 yards respectively. Winnipeg attempted two-point converts on both plays but only one was successful giving Winnipeg 38 points. FB Bruno Heppell added a 8-yard rushing TD for Montreal before Walker called his own number on a scoring plunge from the 1-yard line at 15:00 to complete the scoring in this Eastern Division shootout with the Alouettes on top 58-44.