Last Thursday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats opened the 2026 Canadian Football League (CFL) season the same way they have each of the last six years – with a loss.
The Tiger-Cats lost 30-27 in overtime against the Montreal Alouettes, even though Hamilton had a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter and a three-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
With the loss, the Tiger-Cats have now lost their opening game in 20 of the past 23 seasons.
The Tiger-Cats opened the scoring in the first quarter with a one-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jake Dolegala after an eight-play 78-yard drive that was heavily assisted by a 48-yard pass interference penalty.
A 28-yard field goal from Marc Liegghio in the second quarter made it 10-0 for the Tiger-Cats before Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Snead to make it 10-7.
Alouettes’ kicker José Maltos Díaz then kicked a 19-yard field goal to tie the game, but Hamilton responded with another one-yard touchdown run, this time from Ante Milanovic-Litre in the dying seconds of the half to jump out to a 17-10 lead.
Even though Montreal took 10 penalties for 113 yards in the first half, they were only down by seven.
Hamilton opened up the second half scoring with a four-yard touchdown run from Keric Wheatfall midway through the third quarter to extend the Tiger-Cats’ lead to 24-10.
But, with Hamilton in possession of the ball again, with a chance to extend their lead, Alouettes defender Robert Kennedy intercepted the ball and returned it for a 54-yard touchdown in what turned out to be the turning point of the game.
Montreal continued their momentum in the fourth quarter and tied the game 24-24 thanks to a touchdown catch by Tyson Philpot.
Midway through the fourth quarter, another Hamilton drive ended with a 37-yard field goal to put the Tiger-Cats up 27-24.
Then, on a Hamilton punt late in the fourth quarter, a costly face mask penalty by the Tiger-Cats gave Montreal the ball on their 33-yard line with two minutes left.
On that final drive, Montreal converted three third downs, including a third-and-10, and kicker Maltos Díaz was able to convert a 29-yard field goal on the final play of regulation to send the game to overtime.
That drive was 13 plays long and saw Montreal move the ball 56 yards up field before the field goal.
Hamilton started with the ball in overtime, but Kennedy made another huge play for the Alouettes by punching the ball out of Wheatfall’s hands, which Montreal then recovered.
With Montreal only needing a field goal to win at that point, Maltos Díaz was able to chip the ball through the goalposts from 17 yards out to seal the Alouettes’ victory
Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo-Levi Mitchell went 34 for 39 throughout the game and threw for 307 yards with one interception.
But it was Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander who stole headlines once again – he is still perfect in the regular season as a starting CFL quarterback, going 12-0 over that time.
Alexander threw for 336 yards.
Hamilton’s next game is in Winnipeg against the Blue Bombers on Thursday at 8:30 PM Eastern.
That matchup will include former Tiger-Cats receiver Tim White, who signed with the Blue Bombers during the off-season.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
