LIONS FALL TO STAMPS IN SATURDAY'S WEST FINAL

The CFL West Division Final was a tale of two halves as the Calgary Stampeders came from behind to knock off the BC Lions 22-18.

The West Division Most Outstanding Player nominee Henry Burris was able to recover from a poor opening half to give the Stampeders their first shot at the Grey Cup since 2001.

Calgary will travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes for Lord Earl Grey's chalice Sunday, November 23rd in a game you can only see on TSN starting at 3:00 pm et/noon pt.  The game will also be available in TSNHD.

"I told our players to enjoy the moment and enjoy the night and understand what they accomplished because what they accomplished was something good," said Calgary coach John Hufnagel.

Burris, who entered the game with a 1-4 record in the playoffs, finished the game 17-for-27 for 236 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception. He also rushed for a touchdown.  The win meant that the Stamps swept the season series going a perfect 4-0 against the Lions.

While Burris' play in the second half was the key to the comeback he credited the entire team for the victory.

"We did the little things and we put enough together to get the job done," Burris told TSN.  "Our defence played a heck of a game and our special teams gave us great field position and we were able to do just enough to pull it out."

Calgary's defence dominated the play as the Lions were unable to find the end zone all afternoon.  Kicker Paul McCallum was responsible for all of the Lions' scoring as he was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts as BC's offence repeatedly stalled in crucial situations.

"Very disappointing," Lions quarterback Buck Pierce told TSN.  "To control the ball the way that we did for most of the game and you don't score when it counts, it's going to come back and get you."

There was extra motivation for the Stamps defence after the CFL's All-Star team was announced.  The Lions had five players named to the squad while only one Stampeder made the team, cornerback Brandon Browner.

"We wanted to take it upon ourselves to show that we were the number one defence," Stampeders defensive lineman Mike Labinjo told TSN.

With only 46 man-games of playoff experience on their roster, the Stampeders lack of post-season familiarity was exposed early on.  Calgary's offence was held in check by the top rated Lions defence forcing two straight two-and-outs to start the game.

Pierce was having no such problems in the early going as he spread the ball around the field to his receivers while running back Stefan Logan softened up the Stampeders defence with his tough interior running picking up 94 yards on 13 carries in the half. 

Unfortunately for the Leos, their offence repeatedly stalled as McCallum split the uprights three times to give BC a 9-0 lead.

"Football is a game of opportunities," Lions coach Wally Buono told reporters following the loss.  "And when you look at it, we squandered them away."

The Stamps finally hit the scoreboard in the second quarter with a safety as McCallum chose to run through his own end zone as opposed to punting from deep inside his own half.

The defensive struggle continued as BC drove the ball 67 yards, killing over five minutes off the clock before McCallum finished off the drive with a 32-yard field goal to increase the Lions lead to 10.

The Stampeders offence finally appeared to find a rhythm late in the quarter as Calgary picked up one of only four first downs of the half before Burris connected with Ken-Yon Rambo in the end zone for a 22-yard strike.  That touchdown pulled Calgary within three as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms for the half-time break.

With only 89 yards worth of offence in the first half, Burris put it upon himself to turn the Stamps fortunes around.  However he was unable to muster any yardage on Calgary's opening drive of the second half as Burke Dales was forced to punt once again.

The Lions held their collective breath on the ensuing drive as Logan took a big hit from Browner and remained down on the field. 

Although Logan made it to the sidelines under his own power his absence was felt on the very next play as Jarious Jackson, subbed in for Buck Pierce, fumbled on a quarterback sneak to give the Stampeders the ball at their own six yard line.  It was a play that Buono felt was a defining moment in the game.

"There were a lot of things that we did well and there were a lot of things that we didn't do well," Buono stated.  "The big thing is when you are on the one yard line you've got to put it in.  You can't fumble the ball at critical times.  Those things always come back to haunt you."

With seemingly all the momentum heading in the Stampeders direction, Burris was picked off by Lions defensive back Korey Banks who took it all the way to the Stampeders one-yard line.

Instead of folding, Calgary's defence held strong as Labinjo, who was a monster all-day, stonewalled Ian Smart twice from the one-yard line to limit the Lions to another McCallum field goal.  It was a play that turned out to be pivotal in the game's outcome.

"Our coaches told us 'no matter what happens just hold them to three points,'" Labinjo told TSN.  "We knew that if we came up with a big stop there our offence could come back and win this game."

With the momentum back on their side, Burris led the Stamps down the field once again, however he was unable to find the end zone this time. A 42-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis pulled Calgary to within three.

The Stampeders defence turned up the intensity as Labinjo beat a pair of linemen to sack Pierce for the second time on the afternoon.

The defensive stand appeared to spark the Calgary offence.  With his confidence growing Burris drove the Stamps downfield, however the Lions defence came up strong stopping the drive.  DeAngelis was called upon once again and he tied things up with a 27-yard field goal.

Burris' second half resurgence continued as he connected with Jermaine Copeland and Teyo Johnson on back-to-back plays for big gains through the air.  Burris then called his own number to bang it in from one-yard out to give the Stampeders their first lead of the game.

While everything appeared to be headed in Calgary's direction, the Lions responded immediately as Pierce connected with Geroy Simon for a 65-yard pickup to put BC in Stampeders territory.  The Leo's were unable to build on that and McCallum kicked his sixth field goal of the afternoon.

The teams exchanged possessions as the three-minute warning came and went.  Pierce was handed the ball at his own seven yard line with 1:38 left on the clock.  He went deep with his first pass attempt as Ryan-Grice Mullen came up with a miraculous reception, tearing the ball away from Browner for a huge gain.

Feeling that luck was on his side, Pierce aired it out on the very next play, however Browner made up for the previous play by coming up with an enormous interception that should have killed off the Lions season.

A pair of kneel downs and an incompletion meant that Pierce would be given the ball back with a chance to win it with one-second on the clock.  His Hail Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone and Calgary could finally punch their ticket to Montreal for a date with the Alouettes.

"It's going to be the best against the best," Labinjo told TSN.  "We're really fired up and looking forward to it."

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