Martin sees things shaping up

BRAMPTON, Ont. – It took a few games, but Battalion centre Howie Martin is reaping the benefits of all the hard work he put in during the summer.rrMartin worked hard on his conditioning in the offseason while recovering from surgery to repair a broken bone in his left wrist. He managed two points in the first six games of the Ontario Hockey League season but has since forged a five-game points streak that includes three goals.rrI got off to a bit of a slow start, but things seem to be picking up now,” Martin said Tuesday. It’s going pretty good.”rrMartin, who has three goals and four assists for seven points through 11 games, joined the Battalion in a trade with the Sudbury Wolves on Sept. 30, 2003. He recorded 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in 60 games, primarily as a left winger, and knew he needed to improve his conditioning to better his offensive numbers in his third season.rrThe biggest thing is I came to camp in shape. I can work a lot harder now and not get so tired during games.rrI know what it takes to play in this league. It’s just a matter of doing it. If this is what I want to do in the future, I know I have to put the work in.”rrThe Hillsburgh, Ont., resident said he doesn’t think he’s the only member of the Battalion benefiting from a productive offseason.rrEverybody came into camp in shape, and all that hard work in the summer has helped us. This year we’re working much harder.”rrMartin, who turns 18 on Nov. 18, has played the last seven games between left winger Luke Lynes and right winger Patrick Sweeney.rrIt’s good to play with those guys. We all work hard and we battle down low. We all move the puck well. We know where the other guy is going to be on the ice and, if we keep playing like this, things are going to start clicking for us. We’re not going to make the fancy plays other guys do. We’re going to score goals from working hard down low.”rrMartin said the trio’s goal every night is simple.rrTechnically we may be the third line, but it’s our goal every night to be the top line on this team.”rrMartin, who’s eligible for the National Hockey League’s 2005 Entry Draft, said he’s working hard to improve his play in his own end of the rink to attract the attention of scouts.rrThings are a lot better for me defensively, and that shows in the stats,” said Martin, who has a plus-minus rating of plus-5 after being minus-15 in 2003-04. rrI thought last year that I was just coming here to score goals, but I know now that if I want to get drafted I have to play well defensively.”r