Maple League: Kuopio Steelers shut down Seinäjoki Crocodiles 26-7 for second straight win

The Kuopio Steelers (7-2) took control of the race near the top of Finland’s Maple League Saturday night, beating the Seinäjoki Crocodiles (5-3) 26-7 at Wirokit Stadion for their second victory over the Crocodiles in eight days. After surviving a 35-33 shootout in Kuopio a week earlier, the Steelers won the rematch with defense and a balanced offensive attack.

Steelers break through

The game looked nothing like the teams’ first meeting early on. Neither offense scored in the opening quarter as the defenses controlled the action.

Kuopio finally broke through in the second when Tuukka Lehtonen escaped for a long touchdown run while the Crocodiles defense focused its attention on Joshua Mack.

Seinäjoki did a good job containing Mack for much of the night, limiting him to 79 yards. But the Steelers running back still found the end zone twice.

Jarman wins quarterback battle

With Daniel Rubinstein unavailable, Isaak Marshall stepped into a bigger role for Kuopio and delivered. Marshall caught eight passes from Slade Jarman for 126 yards.

Jarman also gained ground in his statistical battle with Seinäjoki quarterback CJ Fowler. The two entered the game separated by only one passing yard and one touchdown in the Maple League rankings.

Jarman finished with 232 passing yards compared with Fowler’s 122 and moved within 35 yards of the 2,000-yard mark for the season.

Crocodiles struggle to find points

The Crocodiles never found the offensive rhythm that helped them score 33 points against the Steelers the previous week.

Paavo Rantakömi caught Seinäjoki’s only touchdown, while Mauricio Porcha contributed 72 yards on four receptions.

Kuopio strengthens playoff position

The victory gave the Steelers a sweep of the two regular-season meetings, winning them by a combined 61-40.

With only two rounds remaining, Kuopio has one game left against the Porvoon Butchers, while Seinäjoki closes against the Wasa Royals and Helsinki Roosters.

The two teams could still meet again in the playoffs, one year after the Crocodiles eliminated the Steelers 31-28 in the semifinals.