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The Montreal Alouettes will play host in next Sunday's Grey Cup game after rallying from an early eight-point deficit to coolly dispatch the Edmonton Eskimos 36-26 before an enraptured and boisterous Olympic Stadium crowd.

Next week's game will mark the first time since 1979 the Alouettes have enjoyed home-field in the CFL's championship game, a fact not lost on the more than 38,000 fans who cheered and chanted throughout the game.

"The fans deserve this party," said cornerback Davis Sanchez as he relaxed in a jubilant Montreal locker room.

The Alouettes started slowly and fell behind 13-3, but recovered to score 33 unanswered points — including two touchdowns in just a little over a minute — and take a stranglehold on the game.

Montreal fulfilled its pre-game ambition of controlling the clock, taking charge from the middle of the first half onward — Edmonton had only three possessions and no first downs in the third quarter — and staved off an Eskimos resurgence in the fourth quarter.

Though they savoured the victory, the Alouettes focus immediately shifted to next week's game.

"We're still not in a position to celebrate our season, we're still not in a position to find out exactly what kind of team we have, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and it's going to be next Sunday at around six o'clock," coach Marc Trestman said.

Edmonton coach Danny Maciocia predicted before the game that special teams would be crucial — and they were.

The Eskimos scored the game's first touchdown on a blocked punt and its last on a Tristan Jackson punt return, while fleet-footed Montreal kick return ace Larry Taylor ran two punts back for touchdowns, including a 97-yarder.

Taylor shattered Johnny Rodgers' 33-year-old record for punt return yardage in a playoff game, racking up 203 yards.

"That was a great game, hopefully I didn't do too much this game because the big one's next week," said the Florida native, who added he hasn't had that big a game since high school.

Running back Avon Cobourne was also one of the Alouettes' difference makers, contributing a key block on Montreal's first touchdown and scoring on a one-yard plunge in the second half.

"I pride myself on being a physical back . . . it definitely helped us with that drive, we put things together and started moving the ball," Cobourne said.

On at least three occasions — including twice in one drive — Montreal receivers contrived to drop sure touchdown passes.

Each time, quarterback Anthony Calvillo piloted the Als to crucial first downs on the next play. And on each of those drives, Montreal eventually scored a touchdown.

"There was no frustration on the offensive side, there was no panic, we just knew we had to continue to move the ball," said Calvillo, who ended the day 20-for-32 with 295 yards passing. "I think that was huge for us, there was no disappointment there was nobody bickering at one another like 'you've got to make plays,' we just forgot about it and moved on, that's what our team is all about."

Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray connected on a 55-yard touchdown strike to Kelly Campbell early in the third quarter to make the score 36-20, but the Eskimos would draw no closer.

As befits a team that hadn't played in two weeks, the Alouettes didn't find their rhythm until midway through the third quarter.

Trailing 13-5 and looking out of synch, the Alouettes took the ball on their own 35 yard line and marched the length of the field to score their first offensive touchdown.

The key play on the drive was a 26-yard second-down pass to Jamel Richardson, which followed a dropped ball in the end zone. Calvillo then hit Richardson again on second down for a touchdown.

"We anticipated blitz, and we were able to handle it well enough for Jamel to make that play. When you've got difference making plays, which those were, it's an uplifting thing for your football team," Montreal coach Marc Trestman said after the game.

The Richardson score brought the Als to within a point, and within 65 seconds they were up 19-13 after a thrilling punt return touchdown by Taylor.

On the other side off the ball, Montreal sacked Ray twice and limited the high-powered Esks offence to 342 yards.

"People had doubts about the strength of our defence but we're a competitive bunch of guys," Sanchez said.

While the Alouettes were clearly fired up to play before their largest home crowd of the season, announced at 38,102, it was the Eskimos who carried the play in the early going.

The Edmonton defensive line, in particular, harried and chased Calvillo, putting him under more pressure than in perhaps any other game this year.

At one point, the Eskimos sacked Calvillo despite only rushing three players — it was one of two occasions they got to the all-star quarterback in the first half, a rare occurrence for an offensive line that only gave up 22 all season.

The tone was set early when Edmonton forced the Als into a two-and-out on the game's opening series, only the third time in 19 games this year that's happened.

Fortune smiled on the Eskimos — who crossed over from the West Division after finishing fourth with a 10-8 regular season record — early in the first quarter.

With Montreal punter Damon Duval preparing to kick deep in his own half, Edmonton's defensive line broke through and end Justin Cooper blocked the kick, scooped up the ball and lumbered into the end zone to put the Esks up 7-0.