iling eight points in the last seven ga

[blueberryjerry]

TORONTO -- Ricky Ray and Curtis Steele proved to be too much for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. . Ray threw four TD passes while Steele ran for 92 yards and scored two touchdowns to power the Toronto Argonauts to a 38-21 home win over Winnipeg on Tuesday night. Ray finished 26-of-33 passing for 297 yards to earn Toronto (3-4) its second straight victory for a four-point lead atop the East Division. Steele anchored a solid ground attack that recorded 174 yards against a Winnipeg defence playing its second game in five nights. "It (rushing attack) was big," Ray said. "They were coming off a short week . . . at the end of the game when it was still tight, for us to be able to run like we did and kind of wear them out really helped us." Steele ran 10 times and had a 19-yard touchdown and also added two catches for 27 yards, including a 15-yard TD grab. He platooned with former NFLer Steve Slaton, who added 66 yards rushing but also lost two fumbles. "We went into the game thinking it was going to be a battle between the lines," Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said. "It was great to be able to run the football like we did. "We felt like we needed that to win the game." Steele, in his second season with Toronto, has been a solid runner with 318 yards on just 35 carries (9.0-yard average) with three TDs. But the Argos cant move him into the backfield full-time because hes also a contributor on special teams. "Man, thats tough," Steele said when asked if hed like more carries. "Im a valuable player on the special-teams unit and I take pride in that . . . but yeah, Id like more carries as a running back. "But Im OK, I know my role . . . we have a package deal going with me and Steve and I just really try to take advantage of my opportunity." However it was sweet redemption for Toronto, which dropped a season-opening 45-21 loss in Winnipeg. And Ray engineered the impressive victory without regular receivers Andre Durie (clavicle), Chad Owens (foot), Jason Barnes (knee), John Chiles (hamstring) and heralded rookie Anthony Coombs (shoulder). Ray threw to 10 different receivers Tuesday night with newcomer Robert Gill having the most catches (six) and veteran Spencer Watt recording the most yards (56). "The thing is weve been playing together for a few weeks now and its really starting to show," Ray said. "I just feel like our execution has been getting better in practice and guys are getting a little bit more comfortable with each other and were able to execute." Toronto doesnt have much time to relish the victory, before an announced season-high Rogers Centre gathering of 18,106. The Argos return to action Sunday night hosting the B.C. Lions (4-3). Milanovich said it was important his team build off its 31-5 road win over Montreal on Aug. 1. However, Milanovich wasnt pleased the Argos were flagged 17 times for 122 yards in penalties. Winnipeg wasnt much better, called 14 times for 114 yards in a very chippy contest. "Its very difficult particularly when youre banged up because what youd love to do is replace guys and send the next guy in but theres no one to put in," Milanovich said. "You expect some of that from (new) guys who are playing but I dont expect that from our veterans and there were a number of them that were our veterans. "If we continue to do it were not going to be a good football team. All I know is to keep coaching it and if someone needs to be replaced well deal with it." Winnipeg (5-3) suffered its second straight loss following a 23-17 home defeat to Saskatchewan on Thursday. The result also spoiled Bombers coach Mike OSheas return to Rogers Centre. OShea spent 16 seasons as a player and coach with Toronto -- winning four Grey Cups -- before being hired by Winnipeg in the off-season. But OShea also was unhappy with how many penalties his team took. "Its an easy answer, you dont want to give up those yards," he said. "Those hurt you." Ray cemented the victory with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Watt that rounded out the scoring at 11:35 of the fourth. Ray put Toronto ahead 28-21 just 58 seconds into the quarter with a 15-yard toss to Steele after Cleyon Laing recovered former Argo Romby Bryants fumble at the Winnipeg 49-yard line. Winnipeg quarterback Drew Willy hit Bryant on a 76-yard touchdown pass the very next series but it was negated by a hands-to-the-face penalty on the Bombers. Willy didnt feel that call was the difference even though Swayze Waters 18-yard field goal at 6:51 boosted Torontos head to 31-21. "Its just one of those plays, you have to rebound better from adversity," he said. "Anytime you go up against Ricky Ray, youve got to put up the yards." Neither Willy nor Winnipegs defence did that. Willy finished 23-of-31 passing for 193 yards and two TDs despite being sacked five times while the Bombers finished with 232 net yards, compared to 462 yards for Toronto. "Torontos defence is a talented group, Im not sure how they were coming at me," Willy said. "There were times I didnt get the ball out quicker and others when the 12 of us werent on the same page." Nic Grigsbys eight-yard TD run at 6:32 of the third pulled Winnipeg into a 21-21 tie, set up by the Bombers recovering the first Slaton fumble at the Toronto 20-yard line. Maurice Mann and Zander Robinson also had TDs for Toronto. Waters kicked four converts and a field goal. Cory Watson and Rory Kohlert had other Winnipegs touchdowns. Lirim Hajrullahu added three converts. Two late Ray TD strikes 1:18 apart anchored a 21-point second-quarter outburst that earned Toronto a 21-14 half-time advantage. Ray hit Robinson with a six-yard touchdown pass at 14:57, set up by a 26-yard Hajrullahu punt that put Toronto at the Winnipeg 43-yard line. Rays 15-yard TD pass to Mann at 13:39 made it 14-14, capping a six-play, 62-yard march. It was a solid answer to Kohlerts sensational 21-yard touchdown grab at 10:45, set up by Troy Stoudemires 61-yard punt return. Steele made it 7-7 at 3:06 with his 19-yard TD run. Winnipeg took its opening possession 63 yards on six plays, with Willy hitting Watson with an eight--yard scoring strike at 6:06 of the first. . Still, its a start. Josh Baileys goal with 1:40 left capped a furious third-period rally, and the Islanders edged the Penguins 4-3 on Friday night. . Cammalleri suffered a concussion in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The 31-year-old forward did not travel with the team to Carolina. . Despite 11-1 records, theyre out and Big Ten winner Ohio State is into the national semifinals.Jonathan Bernier is expected to make his return to the Toronto net tonight as the Maple Leafs pull into Boston for a New Years Eve game against the Bruins. Bernier has been ill and has not played since shutting out the Dallas Stars on Dec. 23. The Leafs also activated Leo Komarov from injured reserve on Wednesday, which is a good sign he will return to action. He has been out since Nov. 29 with a concussion. The return of Bernier and Komarov comes as good news for the struggling Leafs. The team lost 3-2 on Monday in Tampa Bay and has dropped five of six and allowed 24 goals along the way. James Reimer gave up three goals on 41 shots against the Lightning, about the norm lately with the Leafs allowing 39.0 shots per game in the last seven. My job is to stop them, whether theres 10 shots a night or 100 shots a night, said Reimer, who has dropped four straight in Boston with a 3.65 GAA. Bernier has a 2-3-0 record and 3.83 GAA in six career starts against Boston, including a split this year. Hes been busy with an average of 38.4 shots faced in his last seven starts, going 5-2-0 with a 2.35 GAA and .941 save percentage. The Bruins (19-15-3) proved themselves capable of the kind of hockey it might take to engineer a climb in the standings in Tuesdays 5-2 win over Detroit, beginning a three-game stay in Boston with a third straight home win. We need to make a decision here how we want to play this year and whether we want to make the playoffs, coach Claude Julien told the teams official website. Thats what I wanted to see from our team. Its the kind of game that we need from here on in, night in, night out. Theyve won three of four overall and gone 3 for 9 on the power play after a 1-for-29 stretch over the preevious 15 games. . Seth Griffith scored on their only man advantage against the Red Wings, while linemates Chris Kelly, Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg totaled seven points. Soderberg had a goal and two assists, giving him seven points in the past six games. Eriksson has eight points in that span after getting two assists Tuesday. Kelly had a goal and an assist, compiling eight points in the last seven games after having only eight through his first 28. Boston was without leading scorer Patrice Bergeron and winger Milan Lucic, both out with undisclosed injuries lingering from Saturday nights 6-2 loss at Columbus. Both practiced Tuesday after day-to-day designations. Bergeron has 15 points in nine games against Toronto. Injuries or not, the Bruins know emulating what they showed against Detroit is the next step. Weve done this before in the season and we followed up with a bad game so we have to realize that, center David Krejci said. Tuukka Rask could also use a sustained stretch of success. The Boston goaltender made 28 saves against Detroit and has won three straight starts, but December has been a trying month with a 4-4-2 record and 3.00 goals-against average. His career against Toronto has been much better at 10-3-0 with a 1.85 GAA, though he allowed four goals in under 24 minutes in the last meeting. The Maple Leafs won that game 6-1 on Nov. 12 behind two goals from Phil Kessel, who has seven points in his last four games in the series. The teams have split six games dating to the beginning of last season and split two in Toronto this season. The Bruins have won six of the last seven meetings in Boston, and they seem to be catching the Maple Leafs (20-14-3) at a good time. ' ' '

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