OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS were due for a win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and they got just that on Sunday night at TD Place Stadium. The REDBLACKS came out on top 24-22 in a hard-fought battle to keep the Ticats winless in 2024 and snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Tabbies.
Lewis Ward‘s walk-off field goal was the difference as Ottawa ended the drought against their East Division counterpart, not having defeated Hamilton since the 2018 postseason.
Ottawa’s Dru Brown compiled 265 yards through the air and a touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. Jaelon Acklin led the way for the receiving group with seven catches for 90 yards.
On the other end, Bo Levi Mitchell had 322 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Tim White finished the game with a touchdown catch, eight receptions and 118 receiving yards.
DeVonte Dedmon fumbled on the game’s opening kickoff, giving the Tiger-Cats strong field positioning to begin the game. On second down, Mitchell found White in the end zone to give the Ticats a very early 7-0 lead just over a minute into the contest.
A 43-yard return for Dedmon on his second return of the evening helped the REDBLACKS on their next drive. Ryquell Armstead’s 25-yard catch-and-run got Ottawa just outside Hamilton’s end zone and then Dustin Crum ran the football in from the one-yard line. Ward missed his attempted kick, leaving the score at 7-6.
Later in the first quarter, a 34-yard pickup by Hardy propelled the REDBLACKS downfield. Ward’s field goal from 34 yards out was good to give the home team their first lead at 9-7.
With time winding down in the first frame, the Ticats looked to answer back. A 16-yard reception from Mitchell to White started the drive, with a nine-yard run from Hamilton’s quarterback giving the visitors a fresh set of downs at Ottawa’s 42-yard line. Switching sides of the field at the onset of the second quarter, the Ticats were forced to settle for a field goal after a couple of incompletions. Marc Liegghio‘s kick put his team back into the lead at 10-9.
A couple of strikes from Brown to Acklin brough the REDBLACKS into scoring range on their final drive of the first half. Brown looked his way once more on second-and-long, Acklin drew a pass interference call against Richard Leonard in the end zone. After a challenge from Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich, the call was overturned. Instead of setting up from the one-yard line, the REDBLACKS instead had to go for a field goal. Ward’s attempt from 36 was good to put the hosts up 12-10 at the half.
Mitchell came out of the dressing room searching for his favourite target in White. On the first play of the second half, the receiver caught the ball but coughed it up. Fullback James Tuck was able to recover the football to give the Ticats 20 yards. On the next play, Mitchell connected with Steven Dunbar Jr. for the first time in the game, gaining 39 yards to bring the Tabbies just outside of the red zone. The Ticats’ offence was stopped there though, as Lorenzo Mauldin IV sacked Mitchell for a seven-yard loss. Liegghio’s field goal from 36 yards out was a hit to give the Ticats a 13-12 advantage.
After the Ticats’ defence forced Ottawa into punts on three consecutive drives to start the half, Mitchell led his offence to another scoring drive after feeding Kiondre Smith and Dunbar with first-down catches. Mitchell missed the mark when looking White’s way in the end zone, meaning the Ticats had to go for a field goal on third down. Liegghio’s attempt from 28 yards was a success to give the away team a 16-12 lead.
A big 28-yard play to Acklin got Ottawa motoring on the game’s next drive but that possession would be limited to just four plays after Armstead came up short of a first down in Hamilton territory. Ward’s 42-yard field goal made it a one-point game with 10:56 to go in the ballgame.
After three scoreless drives, Dedmon delivered another deadly punt return to bring Brown and the REDBLACKS’ offence to Hamilton’s 54 just prior to the three-minute warning. Armstead broke free for consecutive 14 and 17-yard rushes up the middle to push the REDBLACKS into the red zone. Brown locked in on Hardy who was free in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. Rhymes couldn’t bring down Brown’s throw when Ottawa went for the two-point conversion, leaving the score at 21-16 with two minutes on the clock.
As time winded down, Mitchell had to try and manufacture a game-winning drive. With 57 seconds remaining, Mitchell got the ball to Dunbar for a 22-yard catch to bring the Ticats to Ottawa’s 10. Shemar Bridges got loose on the right side of the end zone to restore his team’s one-point advantage, with the two-point conversion unsuccessful.
Needing to put points on the board with just 18 seconds to go, the REDBLACKS marched down the field courtesy of clutch catches from Acklin and then Addison. On the final play of the game, Ward called game with a successful 46-yard field goal to give Ottawa their first win over Hamilton since 2018.
Next up, the Ottawa REDBLACKS travel to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers on Friday, July 5 in Week 5. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will return home to battle against the BC Lions on Sunday, July 7.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
