<div align="center">Montreal Impact Double Up On Prince George Firebirds</div>
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With the NWJHL Season Ten underway, early favorites Montreal are already showing why so many picked them as this year's likely winner. Opening the season with back to back games against the Prince George Firebirds, the Montreal Impact clipped the Firebirds' wings handing them a pair of losses to start the season.
The Prince George Firebirds lead by star Goalie Edwin Ask and the 5th overall pick in this year's Draft Emma Watson, were heavily outshot and dominated from one end of the ice to the other. While Ask made a remarkable 45 saves over the pair of games it wasn't enough to eclipse Impact Goalie Fabian Fuhrberg who stopped 27 of 28 shots and recorded a shutout in the opening game of the double header.
The Montreal Impact did it all and made it look easy through the opening two games. Their stacked blueline held the struggling Firebirds to just nine shots on goal in the first of the double header. An easy nine shots that Fuhrberg turned aside on his way to the 2-0 shutout win. Jan Benda and Chris Serpe provided the goals Montreal needed and the rest was solid defensive hockey that smothered the Firebirds' chances.
The second matchup between the rivals saw veterans Corey Tripp and Smirnov Light get on the board for the Impact, along with rookie Niels Baldauf who notched his first goal of his career. Again it was Fabian Fuhrberg who turned away every chance the Firebirds had with the exception of rookie Ingemar Dahlquist's Power Play goal. Fuhrberg would finish the game with 18 saves on 19 shots as Montreal starts the season with a pair of easy wins.
The Prince George Firebirds struggled and they have to find a spark if they are to ignite the offense. They need more offensive production from their star players like Emma Watson. Watson managed just three shots on the Impact goal in 39 minutes of ice time during the pair of games. The Firebirds clearly have offensive struggles early on and Watson will be critical to their turnaround. Prince George needs more than one assist and a minus two from their top line star.
Meanwhile the Montreal Impact need to review their Power Play that went 0-4. With the talented scorers they have they should be pacing the League with the man advantage not lagging behind unable to score. But if they suddenly crank up the juice on the Power Play they could shock the entire League. They've got the talent they just need to turn it on.
Look for our continuing coverage of another high intensity game between Montreal and the much talked about Vancouver Whalers as the season continues. Can Vancouver continue to build on their monstrous opening? Can the Impact's defense harpoon the Whalers chances? Let's drop the puck and find out!