Blue Bombers beat Hamilton, clinch final playoff spot

Oct 15, 2006, 21:50 GMT

Hamilton, ON - Winnipeg quarterback Kevin Glenn threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns as the Blue Bombers defeated Hamilton 29-22 at Ivor Wynne Stadium in their final home game of the regular season.

With the win, the Bombers (8-8) secured the final playoff spot in the East Division. They came into the contest losers of six of their last eight games.

Derick Armstrong led all receivers, hauling in 11 catches for 129 yards and one touchdown. Kwame Cavil and Charles Roberts had Winnipeg's other scores through the air and Roberts also carried 20 times for 104 yards rushing.

Backup Kevin Eakin got the start for Hamilton (4-13), completing 8-of-18 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown before giving way to third-stringer Richie Williams.

D.J. Flick caught three passes for 85 and one score in the loss.

Winnipeg trailed by a score of 22-17 heading into the fourth but Glenn engineered a seven-play, 61-yard drive capped off by a 14-yard pass to Roberts. After a successful two-point conversion the Blue Bombers had a 25-22 lead.

Winnipeg defensive end Ron Warner later sacked Williams in the end zone for the safety to make it 27-22. Finally, with under three minutes remaining, Ticats punter Pat Fleming conceded a safety to make it 29-22.

Winnipeg got on the board early when Glenn hit Armstrong with a 26-yard reception for the touchdown, putting the Blue Bombers up 7-0.

Hamilton struck on offense when Brock Ralph hauled in a pass from Eakin and found the end zone, tying things up at 7-7. That lead would be short lived, however, as Winnipeg's Eakin hit Cavil with a 72-yard TD strike to put the Bombers back on top 14-7 with 3:20 remaining in the first.

With the second quarter underway, Hamilton kicker Jamie Boreham booted a 15- yard field goal to get the Tiger-Cats within four.

Winnipeg's Troy Westwood chipped in an 11-yard attempt with 9:45 remaining to make it a seven point game once again.

Hamilton put up the final points of the first half when Westwood conceded a safety attempt in the end zone.

Five points separated both teams heading into the second half.

Williams' 20-yard scramble on his first play helped set up Boreham's 34-yard field goal with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter. On Hamilton's next possession, Williams hit Flick for a 48-yard touchdown strike with no time left on the clock and the Tiger-Cats had their first lead of the game at 22-17.

Game Notes

The Bombers were without the services of receiver Milt Stegall, who suffered a knee injury his last game against Montreal.

Hamilton starting quarterback Jason Maas finished the season with eight touchdowns compared to a league- leading 17 interceptions.

The official attendance was 24,955.

© 2006 The Sports Network