HAMILTON — Jose Maltos Diaz and the Montreal Alouettes are headed to the Gray Cup.
Diaz's 45-yard field goal on the final play of the game gave Montreal a thrilling 19-16 victory in the East Division final over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. With the win, Alouetta starter Davis Alexander improved to 13-0 (regular season and playoffs) as a CFL starter.
Montreal will face the BC Lions or Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Gray Cup on Nov. 16 at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg. The Alouettes will be seeking a second championship after winning in 2023.
Diaz completed the final 36-yard pass for Montreal on seven plays, much to the dismay of the 25,399 crowd at Hamilton Stadium who were predominantly dressed in black Ticats uniforms.
Maltos Diaz's 17-yard field goal at 5:43 of the fourth gave Montreal a 16-10 lead. But after hitting from 49 yards with 7:28 remaining, Mark Liggio tied the game with a 23-yard boot at 13:13.
But during Hamilton's ride, Alexander was riding an exercise bike and appeared to have rubbed his left hamstring. This season, Alexander spent two periods on the injured list (making just seven starts) due to a hamstring problem.
Alexander was not involved in Montreal's decisive drive, but completed two of three passes for 28 yards. He finished 19-of-26 passing for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception, rushing seven times for a team-high 64 yards.
Hamilton starter Beau Levi Mitchell completed 29 of 36 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Both teams made lineup changes before the game.
Montreal included Canadian defenseman Pierre-Olivier Lestage and American defenseman Sean Lemon on the exclusion list. Freshman American Des Holmes was released from the practice list to start in place of Lestage at left guard, and wide receiver Hakeem Harris was added to the practice list.
Hamilton full-back Jonathan Moxey was listed as out. American rookie Quavian White was taken off the injured list and replaced Moxey. None of the teams named the reasons for such moves.
Tyler Snead scored a goal against Montreal. Maltos Diaz made four field goals and converted.
Shemar Bridges scored a touchdown on Hamilton. Liggio added three field goals and converted.
Mitchell's three-yard touchdown pass to Bridges at 11:19 of the third cut Montreal's lead to 13-10. Mitchell completed eight of eight passes for 69 yards on a 77-yard possession over 10 plays.
Alexander hit Snead 48 yards for the first touchdown of the game at 4:42, capping an eight-play, 63-yard march to open the second half.
Maltos Diaz's 36-yard field goal at 14:56 of the second half gave Montreal a 6–3 halftime lead as the kickers accounted for all the scoring in the first half. Diaz's boot completed a smart, five-play, 42-yard march after Liggio's 29-yard field goal at 14:22 made it 3-3.
But Hamilton was his own worst enemy in the half, thanks in part to five misses for 81 yards (compared to one miss for 10 yards in Montreal). The two for a combined 25 yards (unnecessary roughness, unwanted behavior) collided with a Jordan Murray tackle and negated Greg Bell's 13-yard run to the Montreal 22-yard line as the Ticats ultimately settled on Liegio's boot.
And in the first quarter, Wesley Sutton's interception gave Montreal possession at the four-yard line. Additionally, Maltos Diaz's 29-yard field goal to open the scoring at 6:48 was driven by a 41-yard interference run by White.
The first half was decidedly defensive, with Hamilton gaining 167 net yards, 14 more than Montreal. Mitchell was 12 of 15 passing for 119 yards, while Alexander completed nine of 13 attempts for 80 yards but had a half lead of 48 yards on five carries.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2025.
