On Saturday, in the Maple Bowl, the Seinäjoki Crocodiles are looking to do what no other team has done in Finland since August 2021. Hand the Kuopio Steelers a loss.
After beating the Helsinki Wolverines 28-21 last week in the Finnish semifinals, Seinäjoki now has the task of stopping Kuopio from winning their third straight Maple Bowl.
After a season where they split a three-way tie for second in the nine-team league, Seinäjoki was able to secure a playoff spot and advance to the Maple Bowl for the first time since 2016. They were shut out in that game by the Helsinki Roosters in a 10-0 loss.
Statistically, the Crocodiles were the third best team in the league in almost every category. They scored the third most points of all the teams in the league with 381 (31.8 per game). They also gave up the third least total of points with their defense only surrendering 18.8 points per game.
One thing that the Crocs can be prideful about is their rushing attack as that statistically was the second best in the league. While it does not quite compare to the league leading Steelers running game, it is still quite impressive and a big reason why they are competing for the league title.
The Seinäjoki ground game is led by Christian Powell who has had an impressive campaign of 16 touchdowns and 1,139 rushing yards.
In fact, this game will have two of the league’s best backs on display. Powell and Kuopio’s Le’Anthony Reasnover are the only two who have posted an average of over 100 yards per game on the ground.
Another interesting storyline headed into the game is that Seinäjoki is second in rushing defense, with only Kuopio ahead of them. With the two best rushing offenses and defenses playing in the Maple Bowl, it will truly come down to who can pound the rock and establish their run game the best.
After falling to the Steelers twice in the regular season, Seinäjoki now have a chance to avoid a three-game sweep and pull off the biggest upset of the season.