B.C.’s victory over Montreal Friday night is one that will be talked about for some time -- and not necessarily for all the right reasons.

Can someone please explain what happened in Montreal's final series against B.C. in their game Friday night?

Did the officials knowingly conspire to screw the Alouettes?

Canadian Football League fan forums are buzzing with various discussions suggesting that the officials clearly erred in the Als' final sequence, robbing Montreal of a chance to tie the game.

In fact, the fan forum on the CFL's official site has a lengthy thread suggesting the officials and Jake Ireland, the official in charge of video replay in the newly-created Command Centre at league headquarters, blew it.

For all of this, there is a belief among fans that someone from within the league should be held accountable.

At the very least, there should be a clear explanation as to what happened and, by extension, an admission of error if, in fact, there was one. Leaving it linger during the Labour Day weekend -- considered to be the halfway point of the season and when attention is at its highest among fans and the media -- only creates more confusion.

The CFL has generally been quick to explain contentious calls -- and clearly this is one that needs some explanation, if only for educational purposes.

Sportnet.ca tried unsuccessfully to reach director of officiating Tom Higgins, who is normally available to answer any media questions.

So let's review what happened: The Als were down by seven and deep in the B.C. territory with slightly more than a minute to go. The Als converted a first down on a third-and-one, but a called timeout just before the snap of the ball by Lions' coach Wally Buono negated the play.

It was an adroit move -- brilliant coaching if you will -- and one that the officials called correctly because a replay showed the sideline judge raising his arms to stop the clock.

On the next play, the Als scored what appeared to be a touchdown, though a flag seemed to suggest Montreal had committed some type of foul.

Referee Murray Clarke indicated there was not, in fact, any flag on the play, which seemed to infuriate Buono, but that it would be reviewed by the replay official at Command Centre. In the final three minutes of regulation time, a play can only be reviewed by the replay official as part of the CFL's newly-implemented plan this year to make replays quicker and more consistent with the advent of high-tech, high-definition equipment.

In essence, the on-field referee didn't have to be involved in the final decision because of a replay official who had the advantage of the best possible equipment to avoid any ambiguity or second-guessing of the on-field referee and his crew.

Up until Friday's game, the general viewpoint had been the system helped to improve the game from an officiating point of view and that more often than not the call on the field had been correct.

When Clarke returned to the field after conversing with Ireland, he indicated the play had been wiped out because the official clock hadn't been properly reset.

On the next play, the Lions stuffed the Als' third attempt to keep the drive going, which was verified by a measurement.

The Lions made the final seconds even more contentious when they attempted a third-and-one on the ensuing series and needed every inch of the chain for the series to be continued.

Judging by the comments on the various forums, that play should have been reviewed, too, but wasn't and thus added to the belief that the officials screwed the Als.

The Lions won 19-12 and enabled Buono to tie Don Matthews for career regular-season wins.

But this was a victory that will surely be talked about for some time -- and not necessarily for all the right reasons.

Presumably the CFL will issue a statement to clear the confusion.