In their Canada Day home-opener from McMahon Stadium, the Calgary Stampeders earned a entertaining 36-22 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to pick up their first win of the young 2016 season.

Bo Levi Mitchell connected with eight different targets, Jerome Messam averaged nearly 10 yards per carry and Marquay McDaniel tallied over 100 yards through the air as Calgary would go on to prevail in dominant fashion.

A fake field goal attempt on the Bombers’ opening drive failed to move the chains, as holder and backup quarterback Matt Nichols completed a pass to Tony Burnett for a modest three-yard gain. Taylor Reed of the Stampeders stopped Burnett in his tracks and the turnover on downs enabled the Calgary offence to get things going from their on 45-yard line.

Rene Paredes knocked through a 37-yard field goal to close out the opening six-play possession for the home side, taking an early 3-0 advantage in the process.

First-down pickups courtesy of Rob Cote and Andrew Buckley preceded a 49-yard field goal try from Rene Paredes, but Macho Harris blocked the kick before fellow teammate Julian Posey scooped up the loose ball. The 50-yard return was finally halted by long-snapper P.L. Caron at the Stamps’ two-yard line on the final play of the first quarter.

Two plays later, Drew Willy followed his offensive line to break the plane of the goal line on second-and-goal from one yard out. The ensuring Medlock convert gave the Blue Bombers their first lead of the contest.

Three consecutive carries spilt between Messam and Tory Harrison moved the Stamps into field goal position and enabled Paredes to come on for a 38-yard boot. The kick was good, and Calgary moved to within one point of Winnipeg midway through the second stanza.

Shortly thereafter on third-and-short near midfield, Mitchell scampered untouched around the right side of the offensive line for a 19-yard gain. The signal caller then connected with McDaniel, and Harrison would slip out of the backfield for a 10-yard reception on the following play. The tailback soon punched it in along the ground, but the two-point conversion pass would fall incomplete.

Kamar Jorden and Anthony Parker then made receptions for the Red and White before Simon Charbonneau-Campeau managed to stay in bounds for an impressive 27-yard touchdown catch.
To open the third, an eight-play, 71-yard drive concluded with a Paredes field goal from 36 yards out.

McDaniel’s 41-yard reception was next, setting the stage for a highlight-reel snag by Joe West who reached out with one hand to haul in a heave of 37 yards from Mitchell. From there, Andrew Buckley registered his first CFL touchdown with a one-yard plunge as Calgary surged ahead by 23 points.

When the offensive unit returned, Messam promptly rumbled down the sideline for 53 yards as the Stampeders began to overpower the opposition. Only 2:06 after that, a short pass over the middle to McDaniel put six more points on the board.

The Blue Bombers responded with an eventual three-yard touchdown toss from Willy to Darvin Adams, and a late TD by Jace Davis concluded the scoring on Friday night.

Charleston’s Hughes sack finished things off for the Stamps, who now sit at 1-1 through two games.

With one game remaining before Calgary’s first of two bye weeks this season, the Stamps will next head to Ottawa for a Week 3 matchup. Game time at TD Place on Friday, July 8 is scheduled for 5 p.m. MDT.