Tiger-Cats look to playoffs after closing regular season with loss to Aloutettes
HAMILTON — A playoff berth gives the Hamilton Tiger-Cats a fresh opportunity, as far as head coach Kent Austin is concerned.
“The only thing that matters up to this point … is what you’ve learned and how you’ve grown as a football player,” he said. “How we’ve grown as a football team. Because you really can wash it all away. Because the year comes down to one game now and two games to get to the Grey Cup, and we just have to play our best football. We have a chance.”
The Ticats finished the CFL regular season on a two-game losing streak, with a 32-25 home loss to the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. Their 7-11 record puts them in second spot in the East Division, behind Ottawa and tied with Montreal. But Hamilton gains the playoff berth because they hold the tiebreaker with two earlier victories against the Als.
The Tiger-Cats host the Edmonton Eskimos next week in the East semifinal. Edmonton finished fourth in the West but won a crossover spot with a better record than Montreal.