The Calgary Stampeders will host the Western Division Final for a third straight season. On Saturday, the Stampeders defeated the British Columbia Lions 26-9 from B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia in their final regular season game on the 2018 schedule. With the win, the Stampeders finished with a regular season record of 13 wins and five losses.
The Stampeders entered the contest with a record of 12 wins and five losses, and a loss would have meant they would have finished second behind the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders held the tiebreaker against the Stampeders as they won two of the three games played against each other.
In Calgary’s win over British Columbia, the Stampeders got off to a marvelous start as they had a 25-0 lead at half time. Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes opened the scoring with two first quarter field goals of 52 and 27 yards to give Calgary a 6-0 lead. Running back Don Jackson then put the Stampeders up 12-0 with a one yard touchdown run. The touchdown came after two passes from Bo Levi Mitchell to Chris Matthews of 13 and 47 yards respectively.
The Stampeders then went up 19-0 on a 10 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter from Mitchell to Markeith Ambles. Paredes then kicked a successful convert and two more field goals before Rob Maver of Brampton, Ontario closed out Calgary’s scoring with a 52 yard punt with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter.
The Stampeders will play the winner of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders, who will battle next week in the Western semi-final from Regina. In the East, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host the Lions in the semifinal, with the winner playing the Ottawa Redblacks in the Eastern Division Final.
