B.C. Lions will host home playoff game after win over Sask. Roughriders
CBC
The B.C. Lions clinched a home date in the 2023 CFL playoffs on the arm of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and the hands of receiver Keon Hatcher and Alexander Hollins.
For the second time in two seasons, the B.C. Lions are hosting a home playoff game. The Lions (11-4) ensured the home game with a 33-26 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-9) on Friday night at B.C. Place.
Hatcher and Hollins both passed the 1,000-yards mark for the season in the win.
"The CFL is a big-play league and their two long touchdowns were at a huge time in the game," said Lions head coach Rick Campbell.
"Our receiver group is a really fun group to be around. They have good camaraderie, they compete, they bring a good vibe to our building and practices. They like playing with each other."
Adams went 27 of 36, throwing for three touchdowns and 458 yards. That passing yardage is his highest total in a CFL game this season.
The quarterback, who wore a shirt with "Offensive Line" and pictures of his teammates emblazoned on it during the post-game press conference, was quick to pay tribute to others and looked ahead to next Friday's tilt against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Both teams are tied for first in the West Division.
"Pressure is a privilege," he said. "We're built for it ... we need to bring our A-plus game."
The Roughriders' offence showed flashes of positive play, with Jake Dolegala finishing 31 of 46 for 406 yards albeit with two interceptions.
"My job is to score one more point than him," said Dolegala about his performance compared to Adams. "When he does what he does, we have to be able to match that.
"I had a couple missed throws, a couple of miscommunications. We just have to get better. It's frustrating when you're that close. We know we can beat this team. We can't be doing this too little too late B.S. It's getting old."
Hatcher recorded 172 yards and one touchdown, while Hollins had 83 yards and two touchdowns for the Lions.Hatcher blew up in the first half, getting 148 yards of his total yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
"We're on a roll right now," said Hollins. "The offence is playing pretty good. We just got to stay locked into the details and the things we need to do and the things that we can control. Everything will fall into place."
Hollins reached his milestone mark after going 71 yards, finishing with a touchdown from an Adams deep throw that fooled the Roughriders' secondary.
A tiny black bear cub was rescued near Kamloops, B.C., and transported across the province to safety this week.
The RCMP's commissioner says he expresses sincere regret for an extensive spying program that targeted hundreds of Indigenous people.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas does not believe any current or former city council members are at the centre of an RCMP-led corruption investigation, although he says he did not get that information from police.
Ongoing arguments in the Supreme Court challenge to Quebec’s secularism law, Bill 21, have exposed a national divide over the role of courts in interpreting the notwithstanding clause.
An unexpectedly heavy snowstorm wreaked havoc on some Calgary roads Wednesday morning.
The Dominican Republic national police are investigating the death of a 19-year-old Quebecer who was shot and killed early Monday morning in the province of Puerto Plata.
Whitby’s mayor said she will examine security measures at council chambers as Durham police investigate an incident that happened after a meeting on Monday evening.
RCMP in the Northwest Territories are investigating after a woman was found dead outside a house in the southwest area of Yellowknife.
An Alberta legislature committee has reached into the auditor general's office to pick a new person to lead the watchdog agency.
A Canadian man wanted for more than a year in connection with a massive grandparent scam has been arrested in Nicaragua.
Charlottetown police have arrested a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant in connection with a homicide investigation in Edmonton.
Prime Minister Mark Carney had pointed words for the head of Canada's largest airline early Wednesday, saying the Air Canada CEO's unilingual message of condolences to those affected by the recent deadly crash showed a "lack of judgment" and "a lack of compassion."
Hotels in Newfoundland and Labrador are being trained to recognize human trafficking — criminal activity that officials say despite a lack of cases, is in fact present in the province.