HAMILTON — A lot can change in six days. After a dominant 37-29 win over the Elks in Edmonton, the Ticats are riding a two-game winning streak and beginning to hit their stride on both sides of the football.
It was total team effort Thursday night at Commonwealth Stadium—offence, defence and special teams.
Kicker Marc Liegghio finished the game three-for-three, connecting on field goals of 29, 36 and 22 yards.
Javien Elliot and Stavros Katsantonis (pick-six) both picked off Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius.
Matthew Shiltz completed 10 of 17 passes (58.8%) for 184 passing yards (10.8 YPA), zero interceptions and one touchdown on the ground.
Shiltz connected with wide receiver Tim White (two receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown) on the game’s most explosive play—a 54-yard dagger to set up a first-and-goal opportunity. From there, running back James Butler punched it in.
Butler finished the game with 14 carries for 127 yards (9.1 YPA) and one rushing touchdown. He also caught three passes for 40 yards—producing 167 total yards of offense for the night.
Shiltz suffered an injury in the third quarter, which brought rookie quarterback Taylor Powell into action. Powell spent time with the Carolina Panthers in camp this off-season.
He made the most of his opportunities, connecting with Tim White for a 17-yard touchdown on the first passing attempt of his CFL career. He finished the game two of four (50.0%) for 47 yards (11.8 YPA), one touchdown and zero interceptions.
When Hamilton got hot, they got hot: scoring 24 unanswered points between the second and fourth quarter.
Despite out-producing the Ticats in total first downs (27-19), Edmonton lost 75 more yards to to penalties (179 to 104) and failed to produce points the way Hamilton did.
The diversity of Hamilton’s scoring attack is worth noting:
• Three for three on field goals, four for four on PATs (100.0%)
• Two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown
• Interception returned for a touchdown
Despite injuries, Hamilton is not just finding ways to win but they are coming together as a team and executing in all three phases of the game.
What will happen when the team is back to full strength?
Next up: Tim Hortons Field will host the Argos on Friday July, 21st at 7:30 PM ET
