The Helsinki Wolverines (1-1) will go on the road and take on the Kotka Eagles (0-2) as mid-season approaches in Finland’s Maple League.
The Wolverines need a bounce-back win after a strong season start. Across the field, Kotka will be looking to get their first victory of the season.
Helsinki is eager to hit the field after a week off. In their last game, the Wolverines were shut down offensively being held to zero points and only 26 yards against the Kuopio Steelers. Coach Michael Mattingly and quarterback Jabari Harris will look to get the offense rolling again tonight. Expect Harris to spread the ball around against a weak secondary. Harris and the Wolverines offense should be able to bounce back as Finnish weapons such as Juuso Alakoski, Matias Tuominen Asko Mantymaki mesh well with imports William Young and RJ Long.
Helsinki Wolverines @ Kotka Eagles, June 9, 17:30 CET (5:30 pm, 11:30 ET)
Defensively however, the Wolverines looked in-sync last week holding the back-to-back champion Kuopio Steelers to only 14 points. Expect the athletic secondary of Eric Irvin, Curtis Slater, and Colby Burton to cause problems for the Kotka offense. This tough secondary is complemented well with a fierce defensive line featuring James Perrineau, Ville Valasti, Benjamin Egbudiwe, and Jonis Heikkinen.
The Kotka Eagles offense showed glimpses of big play ability two weeks ago in their loss to the Porvoon Butchers. Former Furman (NCAA DI) quarterback Chris Forcier was able to connect with receiver Peter Anderson and Ville Hamalainen. Forcier along with running back Yusuf Lehtinen hope to help Kotka’s offense play better this week. However, their offensive line must play well today to give the ball carriers room to run.
Defensively, Kotka could have a long day against a talented group of Helsinki playmakers. Expect linebacker Roy Kamppi to be all over the defensive stat sheet as the linebacker led the team in tackles last week.
LIVESTREAM FINLAND: Helsinki Wolverines @ Kotka Eagles, June 9, 17:30 CET (5:30 pm, 11:30 ET)
