Hamilton Tiger-Cats Frankie Williams carries the ball against the Montreal Alouettes during first half CFL football action in Montreal on Aug. 27, 2021.Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats stole the show in the Montreal Alouettes’ home opener.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans threw two touchdown passes in a 27-10 win over Montreal in front of 14,753 fans at Percival Molson Stadium Friday night.
After failing to record more than eight points in a game this season, the Tiger-Cats (1-2) broke their 2021 scoring record in the first half alone.
Evans threw a 30-yard pass for Steven Dunbar Jr., to give the Tiger-Cats the early lead. Hamilton kicker Michael Domagala quickly followed by converting a short field goal for a 10-0 advantage.
Percival Molson Stadium roared for the first time when wide receiver Quan Bray notched the Alouettes’ (1-2) first touchdown in the second quarter. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., located Bray to his left and the 10-yard pass resulted in Montreal’s first touchdown at home.
Montreal’s defence kept Hamilton from advancing in the second quarter but Domagala added a second field goal to his tally. His attempt from 46 yards out went straight through the uprights giving Hamilton a 13-7 lead.
Adams Jr., got into his groove late in the first half throwing twice to BJ Cunningham for 11- and 26-yard gains respectively. However, the quarterback struggled to find his receivers as he got to the red zone, settling for a field goal from kicker David Cote bringing the score 13-10 at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Hamilton’s defence took care of business as Frankie Williams notched the first interception of the game, placing the Ticats in a great position to score.
Evans found his second touchdown pass of the night with a three-yard attempt to fullback Nikola Kalinic lifting the Ticats to a 20-10 lead and silencing the Montreal crowd.
Following a late Alouettes turnover on downs, running back Sean-Thomas Erlington ran in Hamilton’s final touchdown. The Montreal native’s five-yard run sealed the Ticats win.