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MONTREAL – The Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Montreal Alouettes 17-10 in the first-ever CFL contest called off early because of inclement weather on Friday at Molson Stadium.
Officials called the game on account of lightning in the area following an hour-long delay with 2:41 left in the third quarter. CFL games can be called following a 60-minute delay if the match was stopped past the midway point of the third quarter.
Both teams entered the game having won three out of their last four games, and Friday night’s win pushed Saskatchewan’s winning streak to four games. The Roughriders are now 5-3, while the Alouettes are 3-4.
Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo threw for 166 yards in the victory, while Als quarterbacks Antonio Pipkin and Matthew Shiltz combined for nine completed passes and 90 yards passing.
No offensive touchdowns were scored in the game. The first major of the match came from special teams. Following a Jon Ryan punt, Alouettes returner Shakeir Ryan returned the ball 101 yards on his first touch of the game. However, kicker Boris Bede failed to convert the point after, keeping the game at 6-0.
Saskatchewan’s first points of the night came from the defensive side, thanks in part to linebacker Derrick Moncrief and defensive lineman Earl Okine.
Moncrief sacked Pipkin and forced a fumble, and Okine was there to scoop up the ball and return it for a 55-yard score. Kicker Gabriel Ferraro converted the point after, giving his team a 7-6 lead.
A Bede single made it 7-7 after one quarter of play.
Ferraro gave the Riders a 10-7 lead minutes into the second with a 28-yard field goal. Als head coach Khari Jones decided he had seen enough of Pipkin after one quarter of play, and pulled him in favour of Shiltz when his team returned to the field.
His first drive would end with a Bede field goal, tying the game at 10-10. But Shiltz would also fall victim to a sack and fumble later in the quarter, resulting in a 45-yard return from defensive end Charleston Hughes. The Roughriders missed the extra point, making it 16-10.
The Riders notched a single with a little over nine minutes left in the third quarter, extending their lead to seven points for what turned out to be the final scoring play of the game.
NOTES: The 1956 Grey Cup in Toronto was suspended because of fog, but it was completed the next day… Announced attendance Friday was 16,580.
Julian McKenzie, The Canadian Press
