Ben Abrook’s ten yard tumble into the end zone with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter capped a 105 yard drive and was the winning score in the Hilltops come-from behind 24-22 win in Edmonton.

The five-time defending Canadian Bowl champions never led until that point falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter.

The Huskies opening the scoring at 6:07 when quarterback Declan O’Flaherty hit Sam Clayton with a 10 yard touchdown pass and the Edmonton crew took advantage of a Saskatoon turnover on their next possession to score their second major.

The Toppers failed to convert and third-and-less than one from their 28-yard-line when the Huskies defense stopped Tyler Herman on the quarterback keeper. A few plays later running back Alex Gayle would find the end zone on a one-yard plunge.

The Hilltops offense responded with a 79-yard drive finished off by Herman’s 24 yard connection with Rylan Kleiter who made a terrific over the shoulder catch about five yards deep in the end zone to cut the Huskies lead to 14-7 just :11 into the second quarter.

The Huskies used excellent field position for force punter John Brown to concede two safety’s and Edmonton kicker Ethan Hartman closed out the first half scoring after a missed field goal attempt went for a single-point giving Edmonton a 19-7 lead at the break.

The Hilltops looked completely different from the tentative team that took the field in the first half. Herman engineered an 83-yard drive following the opening kick-off to the second half as the fifth-year-rookie starter hit Keegan Dicks with a 38-yard bomb down the sidelines that the speedy wide-receiver took to pay-turf at 2:52 of the third quarter.

Kleiter would add a 21-yard field goal just over seven minutes later and the Toppers trailed 19-17 heading into the final quarter.

Hartman’s 26 yard field goal just past the two-minute-mark gave the Huskies a five point advantage and both defenses held until the fateful final drive which started on the Hilltops five yard line after a Luca Cupelli punt went through the end zone but a Hilltops penalty put the ball in the shadow of their goal post.

Herman methodically led the offense down the field with Abrook’s relentless running and clutch passes to a variety of Saskatoon receivers. Abrook told the post-game show audience on 92.9 THE BULL he put his head down and got to about the two yard line where centre Pat Arno gave him a push across the goal line.

Abrook had his best game as a Hilltop rambling for 204 yards on 29 carries while Herman answered last week’s rough outing in Regina completing 17-of 24 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

The Hilltops defense who forced two terrific turnovers at their goal line last week in Regina had a key goal line stand stopping O’Flaherty’s quarterback keeper on third and goal from the two yard line late in the second quarter when the Huskies were threatening to open a huge lead.

Defensive lineman Jesse McNabb told radio broadcast listeners after the game the team simply came out and had fun in the second half after a nervous-jittery opening 30-minutes.

Fellow defensive lineman Jaxon Funk led the Toppers defense with 11 tackles.

Head coach Tom Sergeant expressed pride in his team who he said battled adversity all game to prevail and extend their winning streak to 26 on the road and 22 games overall.

Sergeant said the coaching staff knew this team would be challenged and would have to battle through every game especially playing their first three on the road against tough opponents.

The Toppers now get ready for the home opener Saturday Sept 7 against Regina. The evening at Saskatoon Minor Football Field with also feature the annual end zone dinner with guest speaker Chris Getzlaf. Hilltops staff say some tickets are still available. An interview with the former Riders receiver played during the half time show in Edmonton can be heard at cjwwradio.com.

The Hilltops recorded a 34-16 win during week-two at Mosaic Stadium but didn’t put the game away until the final 1:18 with a field goal followed by a touchdown.

Game time against the Thunder is 7 o’clock with the broadcast on 92.9 THE BULL signing on at 6:30.