The Alouettes have no intention of giving up, even though they have already qualified for the playoffs and proved it on Monday with their victory over Ottawa Rouge et Noir. The goal: play a game without tomorrow at home for the first time in four years.
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To achieve this, the “Sparrows” have to win at least one of their last two duels in order to take second place in the eastern part ahead of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“We’re also looking for momentum in the series,” safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy said after a 29-3 win on Monday. If we can win the last two games, we will make the playoffs with a five-game winning streak.”
The last time the Als played outside of the regular schedule in front of their fans at Percival Molson Stadium was in the semifinals on November 10, 2019. A total of 21,054 spectators (sold out) watched a 37:29 defeat against Edmonton.
“I want to play a playoff game here because it’s difficult to play against the Alouettes in Montreal, I’ve been there before,” recalled former Toronto Argonauts, Lions of the British Columbia and Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo. I can’t wait to experience it with the crowd favorites who give us so much energy.”
Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo. Photo Martin Chevalier
Reward supporters
No matter the weather conditions, fans showed they were behind the Alouettes this season. On Monday, despite the cold rain, there were 20,664 spectators in the stands at the foot of Mount Royal. The players are grateful to reward their fans.
“It was amazing to see her today [lundi]. They were there all year, Fajardo said. Even when the games were postponed due to bad weather, they remained. [Samedi], we had a training session in the pouring rain and 400 or 500 season ticket holders watched us for almost an hour and a half. It shows how passionate they are.”
“We have an incredible fan base,” Dequoy added. Despite the weather and the fact that it was Thanksgiving, they were loud there. They helped us. I can just be proud and thank them, as well as those who cheered us on from home.”
Dequoy’s promise
Before giving an interview to the Journal, the 29-year-old Quebecer spent almost an hour signing autographs and having his photo taken with people.
“I do that every game. When I was young I was a big Alouettes fan and was in the stands. I never had the opportunity to go on the field, but I told myself that if I had that chance, I would want to talk to everyone. It’s a promise I made to myself: if I’m ever in this position, I’ll give as much time as possible because you never know when football will end. I’m going to take advantage of it and give it back to the fans,” Dequoy said.
▶ The Alouettes will conclude their regular season with a visit to the Elks in Edmonton on Saturday before hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, Oct. 28.