HAMILTON - Brandon Banks and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats made the Montreal Alouettes eat their words Sunday.Banks had a playoff-tying two punt return TDs to lead Hamilton back to the Grey Cup with a 40-24 East Division final win over the Montreal Alouettes. Banks had five punt returns for a playoff-record 226 yards and had another 78-yard TD return negated by a penalty.The victory was especially gratifying for Banks and the Ticats, who remained silent last week after Montreal players Duron Carter, Bear Woods and S.J. Green all boldly predicted their team would win. The assurances came despite the Alouettes losing 29-15 here Nov. 8 that earned Hamilton first in the East and home field for the division final.Banks was a multi-threat, adding three carries for 35 yards and four catches for 33 yards. He finished with 294 total yards and played a major role in making Montreal choke on its words.Of course, we won, Banks said. They guaranteed a win, didnt they so (they) can eat those words.It is what it is.Defensive back Brandon Stewart, who was also centred out by Green last week, relished having the last laugh but said Green was gracious in defeat.He came up to me after the game and said, Good game, go win it in B.C., Stewart said. Theres always respect, I mean hes a great receiver . . . but were going to B.C. and theyre not.Thats all that matters.Banks 88-yard return at 10:55 of the fourth quarter was nothing short of amazing. The five-foot-seven, 153-pound speedster — whose nickname is Speedy B — was completely surrounded by Montreal defenders after corralling Sean Whytes boot but somehow found a seam, then sprinted along the sidelines to put Hamilton ahead 37-24.He did a better job than our cover team, Montreal head coach Tom Higgins said. I think we might have missed 13 tackles on one play, probably a guy had two shots at him.He had an outstanding performance and hats off to him.Woods, who had a game-high 13 tackles, also gave Banks a tip of the cap. I told him walking off the field Man, youre the little killer, he said. Thats because thats two years in a row.On Oct. 26, 2013, Banks returned a missed field goal 107 yards for a TD and added a 45-yard touchdown run as Hamilton beat Montreal 27-24 to clinch second in the East Division. The Ticats then beat the Alouettes 19-15 in the conference semifinal.Hamiltons Kent Austin is off to his third straight Grey Cup game as a CFL head coach. He won the 07 contest in his rookie season on the sidelines with Saskatchewan. He left for the NCAA ranks after that season before returning north to Hamilton last year and said Sundays contest was decided on special teams.I dont know if you ever expect that kind of performance but when you block hard for a talented returner like Brandon is, you always have a chance, Austin said. Special teams was a big part of this game.You always have plays but at the end of the day its just effort, its just a desire to stay on your blocks . . . but (Banks) is an unbelievable player.The win, which improved Hamiltons record at Tim Hortons Field to 7-0, delighting the enthusiastic sellout of 24,334 on a balmy 11 C afternoon. The Ticats will face the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup on Nov. 30 at B.C. Place and chase their first CFL title since 99 — when they beat the Stampeders 32-21 in Vancouver. Calgary downed the Edmonton Eskimos 43-18 in the West final later Sunday.The Ticats lost 45-23 to the Saskatchewan in last years Grey Cup game at Mosaic Stadium.Hamilton controlled the play against the 15 kilometre-an-hour wind and two Nic Grigsby rushing TDs came following interceptions against Montreals Jonathan Crompton, who threw three picks overall to fall to 9-3 as the clubs starter. The Alouettes were looking to return to the Grey Cup for the first time since winning it in 2010.Crompton cut Hamiltons lead to 27-24 with a 63-yard TD strike to Green — his third of the game — at 4:45 of the fourth. Collaros, in his first CFL playoff start, countered by marching Hamilton downfield for Justin Medlocks 42-yard field goal at 9:32.Then Banks cemented the contest with his second punt return TD. Hamiltons defence did its part, forcing four turnovers while Grigsby finished with 93 yards rushing on 18 carries.Crompton recorded his first 300-yard game as a CFL starter, completing 25-of-36 passes for 314 yards. Green had six catches for a game-high 126 yards and three TDs.Montreal ran for just 73 yards rushing on 18 carries against a Hamilton defence that had allowed a league-low 76.8 yards rushing during the season.Hamilton cornerback Delvin Breaux was outstanding against Montreals Duron Carter, holding the leagues third-leading receiver to just three catches for 25 yards. Carter, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter, likely played his final CFL contest as theres reportedly 10 NFL teams interested in the Alouettes star.Collaros was 18-of-27 passing for 199 yards and also added 19 yards rushing on three carries.We were confident but were not going to run our mouths to the media, Collaros said. Thats not what were about.Speedy B and the defence carried us through and we did enough on offence. I dont know what to say about Speedy B, hes just amazing out there.Grigsbys three-yard TD run at 8:50 of the third put Hamilton ahead 27-14. It was set up by Erik Harriss interception, with an unnecessary roughness call on Carter put the Ticats on the Montreal 38.Medlock had four converts and four field goals.Whyte booted three converts and a field goal.NOTES — Offensive lineman Marc Dile and receiver Giovanni Aprile didnt dress for Hamilton. Defensive lineman Corvey Irvin and defensive back Jamahl Knowles were Montreals scratches . . . During the regular season, Ticats opponents have converted just 28 per cent of their second-down opportunities at Tim Hortons Field . . . With CFL commissioner Mark Cohon in Calgary for the West Division final, league COO Michael Copeland performed the opening coin toss. 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According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team.WASHINGTON -- For the second time in three days, Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 39th goal late against the Detroit Red Wings. This one wont be taken away. Ovechkins one-timer from the left circle on a power play 2:37 into overtime gave the Capitals a 6-5 win Sunday over the Red Wings, earning a split of a home-and-home set and tightening up things even more in the bottlenecked bottom half of the Eastern Conference. Ovechkin was originally credited with the goal that tied the score with 7 seconds left in regulation on Friday in Detroit -- a game the Red Wings eventually won in a shootout. The NHL has since reviewed the play and decided it instead belongs to Joel Ward on a deflection. Ward kept it up Sunday, getting two goals and an assist as he again benefited from the extra attention paid to Ovechkin, particularly on the power play. In overtime, however, the power play is 4-on-3, and that left plenty of space for the Russian Olympian to drive home the game-winner after Brendan Smith was sent off for tripping. "I was pretty much open," Ovechkin said. "Sometimes its kind of boring when they put one guy close to you and youre basically out of the game, but Wardo and everybody do a great job." Jason Chimera, John Carlson and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who got a touchdowns worth of goals in their fifth consecutive Super Bowl Sunday home matinee. Michal Neuvirth made 25 saves. The Capitals and Red Wings are bunched in a six-team pack in which two points separate eighth place from 13th place in the East. Washington had lost seven of nine and three in a row at home. "Itll go right down to the end," Washington coach Adam Oates said. "Thats why youve got to get as healthy as you can.dddddddddddd Every point matters. Hopefully your wave will come, and itll come at the right time." Ward has 17 goals, matching his career high for a season and making him the unlikely No. 2 scorer on the Capitals. "I definitely know Ive got a role on this team, and thats obviously to try to chip in as much as I can," Ward said. "But by no means Im not trying to be no superhero or Batman. Im just trying to help the team win." Gustav Nyquist had his first career hat trick and added an assist, and Tomas Tatar and Justin Abdelkader also scored for the Red Wings, who at least managed to end a long scoring drought away from home. Jimmy Howard stopped 22 shots. Nyquists goal at 11:40 of the first period ended the Detroits road scoreless run at 194:14. The Red Wings had been shut out for three consecutive away games, a streak equaled in franchise history only by the 1927-28 Detroit Cougars. It was one of those games where a trip to the concession stand was a risky proposition. The first period included three power-play goals in just 53 seconds of man-advantage time. In the second period, Tatar and Ward scored 19 seconds apart. Nyquist finished his hat trick just 42 seconds into the third period. "It was an old-fashioned pond hockey game out there," Howard said. "Every once in a while those games happen. The only thing weve got to take out of this is we found a way to get a point, and a lot of guys played well." Notes: Capitals D Mike Green missed his second consecutive game. He has been evaluated for concussion-like symptoms since getting hurt against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. ... Capitals F Brooks Laich sat out with a lower-body injury. ' ' '