Helsinki Roosters roll past Wasa Royals 47-7 for fourth straight Maple League win

The Helsinki Roosters (4-3) continued their midseason surge Saturday, pulling away from the Wasa Royals (2-5) for a convincing 47-7 victory at the Velodrome and strengthening their hold on fourth place in the Finnish Maple League.

After opening the season with three consecutive losses, the defending champions have completely changed direction. The Roosters have now won four straight, with Saturday’s victory turning into a rout after the Royals stayed with them early.

Roosters break through

Defense controlled the opening quarter, with neither team able to put points on the board.

Helsinki finally broke through in the second when Santtu Vehkomäki scored the game’s opening touchdown. Wasa answered, helped by a 75-yard reception from Tony Tienviere that included 54 yards after the catch. Shazzon Mumphrey then connected with Andrew McElroy for the Royals’ only touchdown.

From there, the game belonged to the Roosters.

Helsinki found its rhythm offensively and took a 20-7 advantage into halftime before completely taking over after the break.

Urjansson and Edmonds take over

Ambro Urjansson delivered his best work once the Roosters got rolling, completing 24 of 31 passes for 253 yards and four touchdowns.

All four went to Corintheus Edmonds as the pair repeatedly picked apart the Wasa defense. With the outcome settled, Rasmus Laalo took over at quarterback late in the third quarter.

New Helsinki running back Freddie Brock also made an immediate impact in his Maple League debut, sharing carries with Lassi Pajarinen and breaking loose for a touchdown run.

Helsinki defense shuts down Royals

The Roosters defense made sure there would be no comeback.

Wasa managed just 177 total yards, with Tienviere’s 75-yard reception accounting for a huge chunk of that production. The Royals were held to only 34 yards rushing as Helsinki’s defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage despite missing Christer Berg and Taavi Aronpää.

Mumphrey, making his second start for Wasa, again struggled to get the passing attack moving consistently.

The 47-7 victory leaves the Roosters in a dramatically different position from where they stood after their 0-3 start. At 4-3 and riding the league’s longest current winning streak, Helsinki has put itself firmly back into the playoff race.

For the Royals, a fifth consecutive defeat drops them to 2-5 and leaves little room for error over the remainder of the regular season.