Mitchell, Ticats come up just short in Eastern Final: ‘I wish we could have done more’

HAMILTON – The Montreal Alouettes edged past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Saturday’s Eastern Final to punch their ticket to the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg. A game of margins was ultimately decided by a walk-off field goal from Montreal’s José Maltos Dìaz, leaving Bo Levi Mitchell and the Ticats stunned.

“I’m just heartbroken for the young guys that’ve never been there, and just broken up for the team,” Mitchell told the media post-game. “I wish we could have done more.”

2025 was a year of redemption by the Tiger-Cats. They finished atop the East Division standings after missing out on the playoffs the year prior. Despite that, losing a heartbreaker at home in the playoffs was tough to swallow for the team and coaches.

Each score was pivotal in a low-scoring game Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich described as “playoff football.” In the end it was a field goal at the very end which made all the difference.

“The two teams were battling and we just came up a play short,” Milanovich said post-game.

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Despite the result, both Milanovich and Mitchell made it clear that they are proud of their team and the effort they put up against a tough Montreal team.

“There’s no doubt our guys gave it everything they had,” said Milanovich. “I think everybody put their heart and soul into it.”

With the game coming down to the wire, Mitchell shared that he had no doubt that he and the offence would find a touchdown on their final possession. Milanovich shared that he and the coaching staff debated whether or not to go for it on third-and-three, but maintained that going for the field goal to tie the game up at 16-16 was the right decision. Mitchell didn’t argue with the call.

“Scott’s an amazing coach and he makes the right decisions,” said the pivot.

Mitchell also made a note to single out star receiver Kenny Lawler for his tremendous play throughout the season. Lawler finished Saturday’s game with nine catches for 117 yards, but Mitchell wishes he was able to get one more ball out to his teammate with time winding down.

“Honestly I told Kenny after the game, ‘man you’re the best guy I’ve ever played with’ … just the way he attacks the game, the tenacity of it, the leadership he has, and his ability to go out there and make big plays,” Mitchell said.

“I wish we could’ve got him a ball there at the end to give us a chance.”