By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – Thursday night’s matchup between the Alouettes and the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats is more than just a regular home-opener; it’s a welcoming that’s likely to stick inside the minds of both fans and players alike for a very long time.
After starting the season off with three consecutive road games, Anthony Calvillo and the Als return to their new home to welcome Kevin Glenn and the Ticats for the first of three meetings on the season.
How they fared
Last week saw the Als snap out of a 10-year slump by leaving BC with a 16-12 win over the Lions in a fashion that they would not like to repeat. Though the defence seemed to be working on the same wavelength, the usually high-octane offence seemed to sputter all through the night, ultimately walking off the field without a touchdown scored.
However, Calvillo and his offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich aren’t worried – and with every right – as last season, the Alouettes scored a measly 40 points against the Lions throughout the regular season, the lowest total against any opponent in the league.
Though they haven’t lit up the scoreboard since their season-opener against the Roughriders – scoring just 49 points since – expect the Alouettes to improve upon that number as last season saw the Als rack up a staggering 104 points against the now 1-2-0 Tiger-Cats.
Hamilton’s lone win this season arrived just last week in a 28-7 decision over the Blue Bombers at home in Ivor Wynne Stadium.
Glenn followed up a tough loss in Week 2 with an impressive effort against the Bombers, completing 80 per cent of his passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
Glenn’s most dangerous receiver was former Alouette receiver Dave Stala who had nine catches for 124 yards in the win.
Homecoming
When the doors open to the fans on Thursday, the Alouettes are proud to offer several new features to the stadium. In addition to the 5’000 new seats added to the south side and north endzone, be sure to walk along Builders’ Promenade on the south-side of the stadium and gaze at the interesting new art piece created by Raymond Nadeau.
The Alouettes return home to Montreal for the inaugural game at the new McGill Stadium this July 22 at 7:30 pm EST on RDSHD, TSNHD, NRJ, CJAD and CHOM.
