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It could be argued that the Calgary Stampeders dominated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.

The scoreboard at McMahon Stadium told a different story, and that’s what counts.

Costly turnovers and penalties meant the Stamps (10-6) made life harder for themselves than anyone would have liked and wound on the losing end of a 35-32 decision at the hands of the visiting Ticats (6-10).

This was a loss that will leave the Stampeders scratching their heads. They put up more yards, got more first downs and seemed to have the Ticats right where they wanted them with just over a minute to go in the game.

And yet, they lost. Somehow.

A heroic last drive led by quarterback Dane Evans — who completed 17-of-25 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown — helped the Ticats snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

While the Stampeders moved the ball exceptionally well on the ground and managed 237 net yards in the first half while limiting the Ticats to only 60, Calgary QB Jake Maier threw three interceptions.

One of those was a pick-six by former Stamps DB Richard Leonard, though, and somehow that resulted in the Ticats leading 14-10 at halftime.

The Stamps’ defence had been great, Ka’Deem Carey and Peyton Logan had run all over the Ticats’ D and there couldn’t be any complaints about special teams, either.

But those three interceptions and a series of regrettable penalties stifled the Stamps in the first half. The only true bright spots were a Rene Paredes field goal and a touchdown pass from Maier to William Langlais.

In the second half, though, things did improve.

While the Ticats started things off with a touchdown that extend their lead, the Stamps started to claw their way back in.

There was another Paredes field goal — he went 4-for-4 on the night — and then Maier found rookie receiver Tre Odoms-Dukes, who did well to get the ball across the line and into the end zone.

On the very next play, Tyson Middlemost recovered an onside kick that set up Paredes again.

The Ticats held a slim one-point lead in the final minutes, but a bizarre play-call on third-and-short deep in their own territory put the ball back in the Stamps’ hands, where they methodically moved it to the goal-line and then put it in third-string QB Tommy Stevens’ hands for their go-ahead touchdown.

There was lots of time on the clock, though. Yes, the Stamps were up by five and the Ticats needed a touchdown to get anything from the game, but they had a minute on the clock.

They did it, and that means the Stamps are now almost certainly travelling to Vancouver for the West Semifinal. Passing the B.C. Lions (10-5) in the standings is going to be basically impossible.

Running back Peyton Logan had another great game on Friday night, but looked to be in some serious pain before walking off midway through the fourth quarter. He got treatment on his ankle and fortunately was able to walk, but it will be something to keep an eye on … The World’s Fastest Cow didn’t appear at the end of the first quarter for the second straight week. I’ve joked about the cow in the past, but he’s been a fixture at McMahon Stadium for years now. If the team is moving on — or he himself is choosing to hang up his sprinting shoes — I honestly hope the Stampeders take some time to acknowledge him at their final regular-season game this year against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s only appropriate … Charlie Power was playing in his 100th game for the Stampeders on Friday night. The guy’s been a leader and difference-maker on special teams for most of his career and has done really well this season after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury he suffered in training camp in 2021. He had lots of family in the stands and deserves a shout-out for all he’s done for the organization … Ka’Deem Carey was electric in the first half, but shortly after halftime the Stampeders announced that he was doubtful to return to the game. He didn’t miss a play, though, which was fortunate … Former Stampeders star and current Ticats defensive lineman Micah Johnson was listed as a game-time decision for Friday’s game and did not wind up playing. Fortunately, it was because of the birth of his daughter … Honestly, it really can’t be said enough how much penalties hurt the Stampeders. They were penalized 10 times for 110 yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. They had a couple of huge gains wiped off the board. There can’t be many complaints about the standard of officiating, either. The Stamps need to cut out the penalties in a hurry … Tre Odoms-Dukes got the first touchdown of his CFL career late in the third quarter. The rookie receiver had a couple of nice moments. It maybe wasn’t a super flashy game, but he made himself available … The elevator to the pressbox at McMahon Stadium was broken, so please know that this column was written under extremely difficult circumstances … Daniel Amoako had an absolutely unreal special teams tackle in the fourth quarter. Not much to add other than that it’s worth tracking down if it’s out there anywhere … The turning point of the entire game might have been when the Stamps went for an onside kick in the dying seconds of the third quarter. Tyson Middlemost recovered and took the ball to the Ticats’ 24-yard-line, setting up a field goal. The Stampeders had just scored a touchdown, so it was a quick 10-point swing … Official attendance at McMahon Stadium was 20,589.

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