It’s been 15 long years since the BC Lions last played in a Grey Cup game.
That’s the longest drought in the CFL, as the Lions haven’t been to the championship game since winning it at BC Place in 2011.Ā Every other team in the league has made an appearance since, with seven of the eight other CFL clubs winning it outright.
So yeah, it’s been a while.
But the Lions have high hopes this season, after finding their form following a 1-5 start. It won’t be easy for Nathan Rourke and company.
Travis Lulay led the BC Lions to a Grey Cup championship in 2011. (@BCLions/X)
The Lions (10-8) will host the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-8) at BC Place on Saturday in the Western Semi-Final. Should they win that game, they would travel to Alberta to play the Edmonton Elks (13-5) in the Western Final on Nov. 7. The East Division playoffs begin in Toronto, as the Argonauts (9-9) take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-9). The Montreal Alouettes (14-4) will host the Eastern Final.Ā The Grey Cup is set for Nov. 15 in Calgary.
The road to the Grey Cup is set. (CFL)
Kickoff for the Western Semi-Final begins at 1:30 p.m. PCT, with tickets starting at $30.
BC and Saskatchewan met three times this season, with the Lions winning the last two matchups at BC Place, on Sept. 25 and Aug. 23. The Roughriders won June 13 in Regina.
“We’re gonna need all hands on deck,” Lions head coach Buck Pierce told reporters on Monday. “We’re gonna need to be able to run the football. We’re gonna need to be able to play more physical.”
We’ll see how big the crowd is for Saturday’s game, but the Roughriders always seem to draw well. The Lions drew an average of 24,484 fans per game at BC Place this season, ranking third overall in the CFL.
“We’re excited. This is why it’s so big to host a home playoff game, especially in the West, to play in front of your home fans,” Rourke said. “We’re excited about it, we know that the place is going to be loud. Hopefully we can make it uncomfortable for their offence.”