3 STARS: Martel, McCulley Make Big Impact on Return

1st STAR - RYAN MARTEL, LANGLEY THUNDER 

LAST WEEK - 2 GAMES, 5 GOALS, 5 ASSISTS, 10 POINTS
Ryan Martel brought an immediate impact on his return to the friendly confines of the Langley Events, giving the Langley Thunder a lift as they try to climb themselves out of an early-season hole. 

Martel's 2018 debut came in a 14-8 win over the Delta Islanders last Thursday. He immediately found himself at home on the green carpet, potting a goal a little more than halfway through the first period. He followed that up with a pair of second-period markers and provided four assists on goals by Nathaniel Kozevnikov (2), Mackenzie Rope and Connor Watson. He had three more points in a tough 13-8 loss to Victoria.

The 19-year-old will be expected to become a leader of a team hoping to be playoff-bound. He's coming off a successful rookie season with the NLL's Calgary Roughnecks where he had seven points in five games. As much as it's nice to see Martel putting up stats in the pros, he also got an extended chance to play with some of the best in the world, including Curtis Dickson and Wes Berg. 

2nd STAR - ERIK KRATZ, NEW WESTMINSTER SALMONBELLIES 

LAST WEEK - 3 GAMES, 2-1, 80 SAVES ON 104 SHOTS, .769 SV% 

Kratz picked up where he left off last year with a big win over the Coquitlam Adanacs. The reigning BCJALL Goalie of the Year has another solid defense in front of him, but he's done the job in his crease as well. 

He made 33 saves on 38 shots in the win over the Adanacs, and while he struggled a bit against the Poco Saints, it seems like the whole team was out of sync for much of the game. He was solid against the Delta Islanders as well, making 47 saves on 57 shots, the most he's faced in a game since July of last year. He's the type of netminder that only seems to get better when he faces more rubber. 

He sits in third in both Goals Against (7.33) and Save Percentage (.814) while leading the league in wins. He's played every minute so far for New West. 

3rd STAR - BRAD McCULLEY, VICTORIA SHAMROCKS 

LAST WEEK - 2 GAMES, 6 GOALS, 5 ASSISTS, 11 POINTS

Another player making an immediate impact in his transition from field back to box is Victoria's new captain, Brad McCulley.

He had nine points and 26 shots in his Sophomore season at Pennsylvania's Robert Morris University but felt right at home in a pair of games over the weekend. The Captain potted a pair of hat-tricks in a pair of weekend wins over Burnaby and Langley and fit into the offense seamlessly while doing so. He had assists to three different players (Lumb, Brown and Preston) in a win over Burnaby. 

He will be another player Victoria will lean on as they try to improve on last year's first-round playoff exit.