Maltos Diaz’s game-ending field goal powers Montreal past Hamilton in East final

Montreal Alouettes kicker Jose Maltos Diaz (19) kicks the game winning field goal during second half CFL eastern final football action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in Hamilton, Ont., Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

HAMILTON — There’s no way Davis Alexander is going to miss the Grey Cup.

Jose Maltos Diaz’s 45-yard field goal on the game’s final play gave Montreal an exciting 19-16 East Division final win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. Alouettes starter Davis Alexander improved to 13-0 (11-0 in regular season, 2-0 in playoffs) as a CFL starter.

But Alexander tweaked his left hamstring in the second half. As Hamilton drove toward Marc Liegghio’s 23-yard field goal that tied the game 13-13 at 13:13 of the fourth, Alexander rode a stationary bike on the sideline and rubbed his leg.

Alexander didn’t run during Montreal’s seven-play, 36-yard final drive. Twice this season he missed time with the hamstring injury, limiting him to just seven regular-season games in his first campaign as the Alouettes starter.

“I told Maas (Als head coach Jason Maas) right away that I might’ve tweaked it a little bit,” Alexander said. “I think he said he was going to get McLeod (backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson) ready and I just said, ‘There’s no way that you’re taking me out of the game,’ and that was that conversation.

“There is no way I’m not playing (in Grey Cup). It’s unreal, it’s an unbelievable feeling but there’s one more job to be done.”

Montreal will meet the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Grey Cup on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg. The Riders beat the B.C. Lions 24-21 in Saturday’s West Division final. The Alouettes will chase a second league title after winning it all in 2023.

When Alexander emphatically said he was remaining in the game, Maas challenged his young starter.

“I said, ‘Alright, then be smarter out there,’” Maas said. “The other thing I told Davis was to trust, trust everybody and don’t do it yourself … be smart about things and I think he did that.”

Alexander completed 19-of-26 passes for 210 yards with a TD and interception while running seven times for a team-high 64 yards. More importantly, Alexander has an opportunity to continue his magical run by winning a championship in his first season as Montreal’s starter.

Alexander’s 11-0 regular-season record is the best start to a career in CFL history, something he says he could see happening.

“I can because I know how hard I work, how hard I want this,” he said. “When a team gives you the keys and shows that confidence, you better do everything in your power to make sure that you’re not going to let them down.

“I can believe it because I care more about football probably more than anything in this world besides my family … and they know that because they’re the same way. It’s special, but I think it would make it even more special if we got one more.”

Montreal’s win was its first this season against Hamilton, which had won both regular-season contests with Alexander sidelined. After finishing atop the East Division with an 11-7 record — just ahead of the Alouettes (10-8) — the Ticats hosted their first East Division final since 2019.

“It wasn’t until that last field goal went through that I think anyone on our sideline didn’t think we’d find a way to win,” Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said. “I’m disappointed for our players, I’m disappointed for our fans. There’s no doubt our guys gave it everything they had.

“I thought that was playoff football out there. It’s two teams battling and we just came up a play short.”

Hamilton starter Bo Levi Mitchell completed 29-of-36 passes for 269 yards with a TD and interception. Kenny Lawler had nine catches for 117 yards — both game highs — while Greg Bell ran for 66 yards on 10 carries, also game highs.

“I’m just broken up for the team,” said Mitchell, who led the CFL in passing yards (5,296) and TDs (career-best 36). “I just wish we could’ve done more.”

Both teams had defensive standouts. Hamilton linebacker Braxton Hill had 12 tackles and a special-teams tackle, while Montreal’s Darnell Sankey recorded 10 tackles.

“I had a feeling this was going to be a low-scoring game,” Alexander said. “I thought they had a really good defence, honestly a pretty good scheme for us and I know how good our defence is.

“I asked our guys for 25 (points), 25 was my magic number because I knew how good our defence was. Nineteen was enough.”

Tyler Snead scored Montreal’s touchdown. Maltos Diaz kicked four field goals and a convert.

Shemar Bridges had Hamilton’s touchdown. Liegghio added three field goals and a convert.

Mitchell’s three-yard touchdown pass to Bridges at 11:19 of the third cut Montreal’s lead to 13-10. Mitchell was eight-of-eight passing for 69 yards on the 10-play, 77-yard possession.

Alexander hit Snead on a 48-yard strike for the game’s first TD at 4:42, ending an eight-play, 63-yard march that opened the second half.

Maltos Diaz’s 36-yard field goal at 14:56 of the second staked Montreal to a 6-3 halftime lead as the kickers accounted for all of the first-half scoring. Diaz’s boot came after Liegghio’s 29-yard field goal at 14:22 made it 3-3.

But Hamilton was its own worst enemy in the half, partly because of five penalties for 81 yards (compared to one for 10 yards for Montreal). Two for a combined 25 yards (unnecessary roughness, objectionable conduct) came against tackle Jordan Murray to erase Greg Bell’s 13-yard run to the Montreal 22-yard line as the Ticats ultimately settled for Liegghio’s field goal.

And in the first quarter, Wesley Sutton’s interception gave Montreal possession at its four-yard line. In addition, Maltos Diaz’s 29-yard field goal to open the scoring at 6:48 was set up by a 41-yard interference call against White.

“I think the penalties hurt us in the first half,” Milanovich said. “That’s something we haven’t done a lot of … those things weren’t helpful.

“We missed a couple of opportunities but I need to see the film honestly to be able to tell you exactly what happened on all this.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press