CALGARY -- It wasnt a pretty win, but the Calgary Stampeders will take it. Jace Sternberger Super Bowl Jersey . Rene Parades kicked the game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter before the Calgary defence came up big to preserve the victory on Friday as the Stampeders hung on to edge the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 10-7. "A win is a win," said veteran Calgary defender Brandon Smith, who combined with Micah Johnson to make the game-saving play late in the final frame. "As a defence, as long as we can limit the offence from scoring, thats an accomplishment in its own. As you see, we stopped them from getting in the end zone and we won 10-7. We dont care exactly how we win. We just care about the win. Thats the most important thing. The Ticats had a chance to tie the game, but kicker Justin Medlock was unable to kick a 29-yard field goal due to a botched snap. Quarterback Dan LeFevour, who was the holder on the play, tried to run the ball instead, but was flattened by a big hit from Smith much to the delight of the 27,546 fans in attendance at McMahon Stadium. "Micah, if anything, was there first," said Smith. "I did my part. Micah caused it. I had the opportunity to step up and make a good hit. I just seized the opportunity." Brad Sinopoli scored his first-career CFL touchdown on a 26-yard run in the second quarter, while Paredes atoned for an earlier miss by kicking a 39-yard field goal, which stood up as the game-winning points. A week after throwing four touchdown passes in Calgarys 34-15 road win over the Toronto Argonauts, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell failed to find the end zone against Hamilton. Mitchell still completed 19-of-34 passes for 196 yards as the Stamps improved to 3-0. "At some point we found some holes in the defence, got some first downs, got the field goal when we needed it and obviously a huge play by Sinopoli and then just a great play by the defence at the end of the game," Sinopoli said. "The defence, they stepped up at every single play when they had to. That was the biggest thing for us was watching those guys have our backs time and time again when we werent at our best." Medlock kicked a pair of field goal and added a single to account for all of Hamiltons points. Jeremiah Masoli made his first career CFL start at quarterback for Hamilton (0-3) and completed just nine-of-19 passes for 107 yards and an interception before being replaced by LeFevour in the third quarter. LeFevour completed nine-of-11 passes for 76 yards in a relief appearance. "Weve just got to keep fighting," LeFevour said. "Its early in the season - three games in. Theres a lot of time left. Youve got to credit Calgary for playing well, but at the same time weve got to execute better." Neither team could get anything going in the first quarter as the Stamps accounted for just 44 yards in offence, while the Ticats managed only 22 yards. Medlock accounted for all the scoring in the first quarter as he booted a 91-yard single on the opening kickoff before adding a 42-yard field goal with 2:05 left to play in the opening frame. Mitchell then engineered an 11-play, 85-yard drive in the second quarter that was capped off by a 26-yard touchdown run by Sinopoli on a broken play. Mitchell handed the ball off to Sinopoli, who sidestepped onrushing Hamilton linebacker Taylor Reed before running the rest of the way into the end zone untouched. "We got a couple blocks down field and I just tried to make a move and fortunately it turned into a touchdown," said Sinopoli, who was happy to contribute in a winning cause. "It wasnt how we imagined how it would go, but well take the win. Were going to have games like that. Its a long season. That stuffs going to happen. All that matters at the end is the win." Calgary coach and general manager John Hufnagel called Sinopolis touchdown fantastic. "That was something special," Hufnagel said. "It was a play designed that he had a pass-run option, but he never had a chance to look at throwing the ball because he had instant pressure. He made a fantastic move to get away from the first tackler and then juked the second tackler and got himself in the end zone." On the next possession, the Ticats put themselves in a position to respond right back, but Calgary safety Joshua Bell picked off an errant pass by Masoli in the Calgary end zone to end the threat. The Stamps had a chance to extend their lead late in the first half, but a 48-yard field goal attempt by Rene Paredes sailed wide right. Hamilton had a great chance to take the lead in the third quarter when Brandon Banks returned a Rob Maver punt 38 yards to the Calgary 17-yard line. The Ticats then took and offside penalty before Masoli overthrew a pair of receivers in the end zone, prompting Medlock to kick a 30-yard field goal to tie the game at 7-7. On Calgarys next drive, Mitchell fumbled the ball at midfield for his first turnover of the season. Linebacker Frederic Plesius recovered the ball at the Hamilton 54-yard line, but the Ticats were unable to convert the turnover into points as Medlock missed a 45-yard field goal attempt wide right at the outset of the fourth quarter. The Stamps took a 10-7 lead at 8:16 of the fourth quarter when Parades connected from 39 yards out to round out the scoring. Notes: With Keon Raymond (thigh bruise) and Deron Mayo (groin strain) out of Calgarys lineup, Lin-J Shell and Glenn Love started as linebackers for the Stamps. à Calgary cornerback Buddy Jackson left the game with a hamstring injury in the second quarter, while linebacker Juwan Simpson went down with an arm injury in the fourth quarter. à The Stamps lead the all-time series 56-30 over the Ticats, including a 34-9 edge in games played in Calgary. à Calgary ran its winning streak over Hamilton at McMahon Stadium to 10 straight games dating back to July 4, 2004. The Stamps have also won nine of the past 10 games overall against the Ticats dating back to Oct. 3, 2009. Josh Jackson Super Bowl Jersey . The veteran fighter will be squaring off with Henderson in a five-round lightweight bout as part of another network televised card at the United Center on Saturday night. Packers Super Bowl Jerseys . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick.ORLANDO - Julio Cesar would have preferred a different start to his Toronto FC career. The Brazilian international goalkeeper was beaten twice in the first 12 minutes of his Reds debut in a 3-1 preseason loss to Columbus Crew in Florida earlier this week. There wasnt much Cesar could do about Federico Higuains excellent free-kick, or the thunderbolt from Josh Williams that followed shortly after. Despite conceding the goals, it was a relatively quiet afternoon for the World Cup winner. Cesar was rarely called into action, but that didnt mean he wasnt involved. When Toronto FC announced Cesars signing on loan from Queens Park Rangers last week, Reds head coach Ryan Nelsen talked about the leadership and organizational skills the veteran will bring. That was clearly evident in Orlando against Columbus as Cesar talked his way through the game, managing his teammates in front of him. "It is part of the job of the goalkeeper because he can watch all of the games," Cesar told me following the game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney. "Many times I like to talk with my defenders and the midfield. We need to work hard tactically especially. The most important thing is to understand the coach and what he wants. "I am a little sad because it was my first game and we lost, but I am happy because I am back to playing after eight months and that was tough for me. I am really happy because the coach gave me the opportunity to start with the team." A key figure amongst the defenders in front of Cesar will be club captain Steven Caldwell, and the former Scottish international is well aware of what the Brazilian can bring to the team. "Its fantastic to have him behind us with his experience," said Caldwell. "Hes very comfortable on the ball and strong playing out of the back. Its going to be a great experience for everybody who has the privilege to play with Julio and so far he justt seems like a fantastic guy. Marcedes Lewis Super Bowl Jersey. . Were all going to learn off him and it is an honour for this football club to have him play for us." One of the things that has been lacking in past seasons at Toronto FC has been leadership on the pitch, but that certainly cant be said about this squad of players. With Cesar in goal and Caldwell in the centre of defence they have two excellent communicators. When you add in US international Michael Bradley as the general in the centre of midfield, TFC has a very strong leadership core. "You want every guy taking a big role in the team with personality and leadership and commitment," said Bradley. "When you walk in that locker room there is a team full of guys who are ready to do that, so thats nothing but positive." Toronto FCs next test in preseason is on Saturday when they will return to action in Florida in their second match of the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic against hometown team Orlando City. Management and players alike will be hoping to see further improvement and progression as the team builds towards its March 15 season opener in Seattle. "For us its about building the understanding and working on the things we have been working on in training," said Dwayne De Rosario. "We will continue to build and there is still a long way to go. The game (against Columbus) brought us back to reality and showed us things that we need to work on. Now we need to improve on those things that they exposed us on. Were where we want to be but there is still a lot to do." "Against Columbus we had a few guys that were having their first minutes of preseason," said head coach Ryan Nelsen. "We needed to see a few of the weaknesses that we have so that we can work on it. Theyve just got to play together. They have to get used to each other and get minutes under their belt. We will progress on from here." ' ' '