It has been a roller-coaster season for Luke Tasker and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The defending East Division champions lost their first three games and seven of their opening nine. But a 6-2 record since Labour Day - buoyed by a perfect 5-0 mark at new Tim Hortons Field - has the Ticats in control of their own destiny heading into their regular-season finale against the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. A win against the surging Alouettes (9-8) will secure the Ticats (8-9) a playoff spot. Should Hamilton win by eight or more points, it would finish atop the division standings and host the Eastern Final on Nov. 23. Watch all the action on TSN at 3:30pm et/12:30pm pt. Montreal beat Hamilton 38-31 in the first meeting between the teams on Sept. 7. Theres been a few games weve let slip away but were where we want to be right now, Tasker said. We control our own destiny to a certain extent. If we win that will be good enough to get into the playoffs. Thats assuming Toronto beats Ottawa on Friday night. A win by the expansion Redblacks would eliminate the Argonauts from playoff contention and secure Hamilton a post-season berth and leave the Ticats and Alouettes to play for first Saturday. Montreal has already clinched a playoff berth. It would cement first place with a win over Hamilton or a loss by seven points or less. Now, should both Toronto and Montreal win this weekend, the Als would finish first and Argos second based on having won the season series with Hamilton. The Ticats would miss the playoffs the result of the West Division crossover. The Alouettes are the CFLs hottest team, having won six straight and eight of their last nine games after a miserable 1-7 start. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton is an outstanding 8-1 since becoming Montreals starter despite completing just 59 per cent of his passes. He has yet to record a 300-yard passing game and has thrown almost as many interceptions (eight) as TDs (10). The only blemish on Cromptons record is a 33-16 road loss to Edmonton on Sept. 12. Despite the presence of big-play receivers Duron Carter (71 catches, 987 yards, six TDs) and S.J. Green (49 receptions, 732 yards, four TDs), Montreal is ranked last in passing percentage and second-last in passing and scoring. But the Als are second overall in time of possession (31 minutes 10 seconds), meaning they do a good job of controlling the ball when they have it. The only thing that matters is hes 8-1 and knows how to win, Ticats defensive back Craig Butler said. Before he came in they were kind of trying to find an identity. He manages the game well and knows who to get the ball to. Those guys (Carter and Green) are his playmakers ... when it comes down to crunch time theyre the guys they go to. With Crompton and company controlling the ball, it keeps a rugged Montreal defence fresh. Thats certainly been bad news for opponents as the Alouettes lead the CFL in forced turnovers (45), fumble recoveries (21) and fourth in points allowed (21.5 per game). The unit has been especially stingy over the six-game win streak, having surrendered just 74 points, an average of 12.3 per contest. They have a savvy defensive secondary, Tasker said. One thing they do really well is disrupt receivers in their routes. As receivers its important for us to have our eyes around the contours of the secondary, looking at whos dropping and where. Theyre also very good at getting their hands on you as you release into your route. Tasker said Montreal usually plays zone in passing situations, making it important for Ticats receivers to quickly find the gaps before the pass rush gets to the quarterback. Both Montreal and Hamilton have been good at pressuring the passer, having recorded 49 sacks apiece to stand tied for third overall. Thats the name of the game, Tasker said. If we can protect, things go a lot smoother for the passing game. Hamilton has allowed 63 sacks this season, second-most in the CFL, but also sports the leagues second-ranked aerial attack. And while quarterback Zach Collaros has completed over 65 per cent of his passes, he has also rushed for 293 yards (an average 5.7 yards per rush) with two TDs. Tasker, the son of former NFL special-teams guru Steve Tasker, is Hamiltons receiving leader with 67 catches for 876 yards and five TDs. The CFL sophomore figures to again be a focal point of the Ticats passing game with slotback Andy Fantuz (hamstring) missing a third straight game. As impressive as Montreals defence has been of late, Hamiltons unit has been just as solid at Tim Hortons Field. The Ticats have allowed just 61 total points there, an average of 12.2 a game. Safety Craig Butler gives Hamiltons rabid fans credit for the defences success at home, saying the unit feeds off their energy. Weve got some of the best fans in the league, its great to play behind them, Butler said. Theyre just as excited as we are ... theyre loud and having fun and we just try to take their energy and turn into ours. We feel comfortable and play confident there. We have fun with our crowd. Its a great atmosphere and I think any time you can hype up or build up energy thats going to get — especially the defensive side — going. Added Tasker: I guess its the level of comfort that comes when you are truly, truly at home ... weve played at Guelph and McMaster the last two years but when youre truly at home there is a difference. The fans and positive energy thats flowing, the noise that can get going when were on defence, it all comes together and adds to the feeling and positive energy thats in our favour. The wind can sometimes be a factor, potentially wreaking havoc with the passing and kicking games. Tasker said thats something both teams must account for. Sometimes people refer to it as two-quarter football, he said. When youre going into the wind you want to just have possession of the ball, you want to give them as little time as you can going with the wind. But at the very minimum, when it comes down to the end of the season you want to have control of your own destiny. Its where you want to be as a football player and football team. Tracy McGrady Jersey . The 33-year-old defender has spent his entire career at Chelsea, scoring 57 goals in 621 appearances. He regained his regular starting place under Jose Mourinho in the season that ended at the weekend without Chelsea winning a trophy. Cheap Raptors Jerseys China . -- On any given day here at his companys Silicon Valley headquarters, Vivek Ranadive is ready to compete against any employee who wants to challenge him to any contest. http://www.cheapraptorsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-delon-wright-jersey . Here is a look at all the moves through the first week of NHL Free Agency. The most significant deals will get the full Numbers Game column treatment, like these:Briere-for-Parenteau trade. Cheap Raptors Jerseys Authentic . "I have had no discussions with Chad Johnson or his representation," Popp said Friday in an email. However, he appeared to confirm a report on Twitter from TSN this week that Johnson was on Montreals negotiation list. Jonas Valanciunas Jersey . The underachieving franchise finished 17th in the 19-team league with a 6-17-11 record this season. "Our soccer team is absolutely in complete disarray," said Leiweke, drawing laughs during an Empire Club luncheon speech about the future of MLSE teams and plans to improve them. ST. LOUIS -- Mark Ellis knew that he might not see a whole lot of playing time when he signed a free-agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals in December. "I figured theyd want me to come off the bench and Im fine doing that," he said. "I just want to be on a winning team." Ellis has gotten the best of both worlds. The 37-year-old infielder drove in two runs, including the go-ahead score with a bunt, and the Cardinals got a scoreless effort from their bullpen to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 Sunday. The Cardinals have won two in a row and seven of 10. Philadelphia has lost two straight after a season-high five-game winning streak. Ellis, who has received increased playing time due to injuries, broke a 3-all tie with a safely squeeze bunt in the fourth. He added an RBI single in the sixth. He is hitting .193 with 12 RBIs in 41 games. "We talked about it and the opportunity came up," he said of the bunt. "The ball up is an easier pitch to get that ball down. We were able to execute it." St. Louis manager Mike Matheny appreciates Ellis professional approach at the plate. "Two big at-bats," Matheny said. "Mark did a real nice job of getting that bunt down. He was thinking and really preparing ahead of time. Hes done a lot of good things in this game for a long time." Starter Carlos Martinez (1-3) allowed three runs over five innings. Martinez, who has 31 relief appearances, was making his second start of the season, replacing Michael Wacha in the rotation. "I just focused on throwing strikes, not throwing the ball so hard," Martinez said. "As a starter, Im learning to use all of my pitches." Nick Greenwood, Sam Freeman, Pat Neshek and Trevor Rosenthal combined for four innings of two-hit scoreless relief. Rosenthal got his 22nd save in 25 chances. Freeman struck out three in 1 2-3 innings. "I thought the pen was terrific, too," Matheny said. "Those guys are doing a good job getting through the game when our starters may not be able to go too deep." Cody Asche drove in all three Philadelphia runs with a bases-loaded doubble in the second.dddddddddddd Asche, who grew up in nearby OFallon, was playing his first series in front of family and friends. "Its fun to step in and contribute," Asche said. "I wish we could have taken the last two games and completed the perfect road trip. But weve got some confidence." The Phillies won the first five games of the seven-game swing. Jimmy Rollins had a 15-game hitting streak snapped. Kyle Kendrick (3-7) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. He gave up just one hit over the first three innings before St. Louis scored four times in the fourth. "That one big inning hurt," Kendrick said. "They got some hits and I wasnt able to minimize the damage." Jon Jay got the inning going with an RBI single with the bases loaded. Jhonny Peralta followed with a tying, two-run single and Ellis bunted home the go-ahead run. "I like the way they went about putting together some tough at-bats," Matheny said. "Just nice consistent approaches at the plate, not trying to do too much." NOTES: The Phillies announced after the game that RHP Ethan Martin (0-0, 4.50) has been sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley of the International League. RHP B.J. Rosenberg will be recalled. Rosenberg is 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA. Manager Ryne Sandberg said Martin just "needs to get some innings in."... Matheny had the No. 57 written on his left arm to honour former St. Louis pitcher Darryl Kile, who died 12 years ago Sunday. ... The Phillies begin an eight-game homestand Monday with the first of four games against Miami. Roberto Hernandez (3-5, 4.52) will face Nathan Eovaldi (4-3, 3.76) in the opener. ... St. Louis starts a 10-game road trip Monday with the first of three games in Colorado. Lance Lynn (7-5, 3.15) will take on Jhoulys Chacin (2-2, 4.65). ... The previous three St. Louis games prior to Sunday lasted exactly 2 hours and 48 minutes. This one took 2:54. ... St. Louis OF Matt Holliday hit in the No. 2 spot in the batting order for the first time this season. The Cardinals have used 11 different players in that slot this season. 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