“I’m not wasting my rent,” said Mike Jones after the Alouettes advanced to the East Finals.

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Mike Jones explained that now that November’s rent has been paid, he better put his Montreal residence to good use.

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“I was telling bystanders that I wasn’t wasting my rent,” Jones said. “We’re going to be here for three more weeks.”

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There’s no guarantee the Alouettes will advance to their first Gray Cup championship game since 2010, but they do come a day after Sunday afternoon’s hard-fought 28-17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Division semifinals at Molson Stadium. you will be able to see

It was Alouette’s first playoff victory since 2014 and ended a drought of seven straight post-season losses against Hamilton, who proved to be a recurring bane on the Montreal side. Alz will advance to the Division Finals in Toronto next Sunday and the winner will advance to his CFL title game in Regina on November 20th.

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If the first half of this matchup belonged to quarterback Trevor Harris and Alouette’s offense — Montreal led 22-6 at intermission, scored on their first possession, and had the ball in their first four innings. 3 times — Team defends its last 30 minutes.

“Defense wins championships,” said cornerback Jones, who signed with the Als last winter from Winnipeg as a free agent. “If you have a defense that’s physical and everyone is on the same page, that’s what wins.

“Defense has definitely been a major factor on any team I’ve been on. I’ll put it on today, lights out.”

Jones had a great game in Montreal, intercepting two passes. But he wasn’t the only star. Combined, Ticats quarterback Dane Evans and former Alouette Matthew Shiltz, who replaced him early in the third quarter, have been sacked six times. His defensive tackle Almondo Sewell and linebacker Tyrice Beverette, who signed him as a free agent with Ticat last winter, each earned two sacks.

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Beverett also forced two fumbles. One took place in Hamilton’s territory in the closing stages of the match, where Chris was recovered by Ackie. Ultimately, David Cote’s 12-yard field in his last minute led to his goal after the visitors narrowed the deficit to his eight points.

“We’ve found a way to get it done,” said general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia. He has improved to 9-6 since replacing Kari Jones in early July. “We talk about having each other’s backs. The defense helped us in the second half.

“We said we were going quarterback. I just wanted to make sure the ball came out quickly and gave DB a chance to make some plays.

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According to Hamilton head coach Orlond Steinauer, the Tikats needed a spark, so Schilz replaced Evans and delivered quickly, completing 5 of 6 passes for 51 yards, It culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Dunbar Jr. midway through the third quarter. His two-point conversion afterward took Montreal’s score to his 22-14.

After the teams traded field goals and the count was 25-17, Dominic Davis was stopped for a third-down gamble for the Tikats’ 50. However, following a 23-yard pass to Dunbar, taking the ball to the Montreal 40, Silz was intercepted by Jones.

But it wasn’t until Ackie fumbled and recovered that the Alouettes knew they were heading to Toronto and couldn’t catch their breath.

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“This is a huge deal for this organization and it will come at the right time,” Maciosia said. “We’re down to the last four teams. This guy doesn’t know who wants to bet on any of the four teams. I’m not going to Toronto with a complex. We know we can play against them.” I have.”

Harris played impeccably in the first half, throwing 21 of 27 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown to Jake Wieneke. But Montreal’s offense, not for the first time this season, stalled in the third quarter, failing to generate a first down, and Chandler diverted from the uprights following his return on his 47-yard punt by Worthy. The field held his goal.

“We won the game,” said Harris, who finished 27-of-34 for 243 yards. “Obviously we’re not happy with that. We’re still in the lead in the second half. We’re trying to run the play as best we can. They (Hamilton) did a good job. Obviously. We need to improve.We can and will do better.When you’re playing football in November, it’s all about surviving and moving forward.We’ve gone on for another week. ”

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Harris once again acknowledged that Alouette needed to develop more killing instincts.

“That’s the name of the game,” he said. “That’s what great teams do.”

As usual, Eugene Lewis was Montreal’s leading receiver, catching seven passes for 98 yards. And Ars effectively ran the ball. Walter Fletcher gave him 77 yards on his 7 carries, including a 33-yard touchdown, and William his stun back gave him 66 yards on his 10 carries.

Fletcher also caught four passes for 25 yards. Fletcher said he played a decent game, but what does he mean by a good performance?

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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