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Redblacks beat Eskimos 35-23 in snow to reach Grey Cup

Ottawa Redblacks' Greg Ellingson, center, dodges the Edmonton Eskimos defenders J.C. Sherritt, Center back, and Phillip Hunt, right, on his way to scoring a touchdown during the first half of a CFL eastern final football game in Ottawa, Ontario, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016. (Adrian Wyld / Associated Press)
Associated Press

Ottawa, Ontario – Henry Burris threw two touchdown passes and the Ottawa Redblacks held off the Edmonton Eskimos 35-23 on Sunday in the CFL’s snowy East final to advance to the Grey Cup for the second straight year.

Ottawa will face the Calgary Stampeders in the title game next Sunday in Toronto. Calgary beat B.C. 42-13 on Sunday in the West final.

Last year, Edmonton beat Ottawa 26-20 in the Grey Cup.

The start of the second half was delayed briefly to repair the lines on the field after they were scraped away while crews shoveled snow. A paint machine failed, forcing a crewman to repaint the lines by hand.

Tristan Jackson returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown and Burris threw a 2 -point conversion pass to Patrick Lavoie to give Ottawa a 25-3 lead in the third quarter. Edmonton countered with Mike Reilly’s 5-yard TD strike to Adarius Bowman with 13 seconds left in the quarter.

Reilly’s 18-yard TD pass to Chris Getzlaf made it a 25-17, and Ray Early’s 23-yard field goal – set up by an illegal kick penalty – put Ottawa ahead 28-17 with 4:30 remaining. Reilly found a wide-open Bowman on a 57-yard TD strike with 2:57 remaining to cut it to 28-23, and Kienen Lafrance wrapped up the victory with a 20-yard scoring run with 45 seconds to go.