ALOUETTES AVENGE GREY CUP LOSS IN CFL SEASON OPENER

The Montreal Alouettes struggled against their Western Conference last season, and in particular against the Calgary Stampeders.  The biggest setback for the Als was a 22-14 loss in the Grey Cup championship game.  In the CFL season opener for both teams on Wednesday, Montreal got some measure of revenge as they pasted host Calgary 40-27.
Sports bettors who backed Montreal as a -8 point road favorite were rewarded with the victory, with the combined 67 points going well OVER the posted total of 53.  Montreal was a meager 3-5 last year against the CFL’s Western Conference and dropped all three meetings against Calgary SU—including the Grey Cup championship game.   Four of Montreal’s first five games this year are against Western Conference teams, so clearly a good performance against them is essential for their championship prospects.
Damon Duval tied a career record as he was 6 for 6 on field goals—a feat made even more impressive by the sloppy, rainy conditions under which the game was contested.  Both teams turned the ball over four times, and there were a total of nineteen penalties called.  Montreal coach Mark Trestman was doubly pleased with the victory due to the challenging conditions:

"This game had so many series of events. Both teams creating adversity for themselves and overcoming adversity."
The game was fairly close late, with Montreal holding a 33-27 advantage midway through the fourth quarter.  The deceive blow came as the Stamps were driving for a potential go-ahead score, only to have QB Henry Burris get intercepted in the endzone by Mark Estelle.  Estelle was elated with the outcome of the game and the fact they finally got one back from their rivals:
"They beat us three times in a row. It's beautiful to win this first game and start it off right".
Burris, the MVP in the Grey Cup game had a substandard night—he completed only 17 of 34 passes and was sacked three times.  Afterwards, he suggested that it served as a reality check for himself and his teammates:
"If this isn't a wake-up call, I don't know what is. I know this team well. We'll be fine. We didn't go undefeated last year. It's always good to have one of these early on just so you can get things corrected."
His Montreal counterpart, Anthony Cavillo wasn’t much better with a 24 for 32 night with one TD pass and one interception.  Still, he was more focused on his team’s victory in a tough road environment:
"To come on the road against an excellent opponent, we're excited about this win. They're the defending champs and we came here and got two points."
Montreal will host the Edmonton Eskimos on Thursday, July 7th while Calgary travels to Winnipeg for a game against the Blue Bombers on Friday, July 10th.