Doty is east side's gritty gift to Bucs
Des Moines Tribune
Thursday, 4-1-82
by Don Clasen
The Des Moines Buccaneers have their Hart (Myles, the United States Hockey League's regular-season scoring leader), and they have their soul in the example set by Doran Doty, the imp from the 'east side who is constantly a thorn in the side of opponents.
He turned in a three-goal hat trick, but perhaps even more important he limited the Musketeers' Brian Williams, who broke the Bucs' back by bagging four goals in the series opener last Wednesday, to one goal.
The 7-6 victory in overtime was the Bucs' first in the best-of-five championship series, which resumes with the fourth game here Friday night.
Doty said he began his spree after someone put up a sign at Sioux City's Municipal Auditorium that read, Doty Can't Find Williams."
"That made me mad," said the fierce competitor, who played baseball and swam as a freshman at East Des Moines. "I'll show 'em how I can find Williams."
"We know we can do it (beat the Musketeers) now," said Doty after the Bucs' first victory of the entire season at Sioux City.
"We've gotten over the worst part." Doty who has been skating since he was 5 years old, said he expects the Bucs to play Friday night's game the same way we played in the third period Saturday night. The faceoff will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice Arena.
With the Bucs down 6-2, Doty opened the third period with a goal only 10 seconds after the puck was dropped. Jeff Ulrich eventually won it in the extra period.
Doty, who will be 20 on July 16, is proud of the fact that he centers the Bucs' new checking line, formed by coach Ivan Prediger to stop Williams.
Before the weekend, Prediger said Doty could "drive Wiliams crazy." He was right. Although Sioux City won Friday night, Doty held the Musketeer's scoring leader to one open-net goal. Saturday night Williams picked up only one assist and, after being hounded, began fighting with Doty in the first period.
"I dropped my stick and he kicked it. I told him not to kick it again," said Doty.
Williams responded by punching Doty, who didn't punch back.
The result: Williams received a 5 minute major penalty for fighting; Doty got a 2-minute minor.
Williams still leads playoff scorers with 23 points on 10 goals and 13 assists in eight games.
In the final series, the Bucs' Tom Miller and Bill Ries have four points each in three games while Rick Swarbrick, Ulrich, Greg LaDouceur and Scott Rupp have three apiece.
Doty, a valuable asset because of his desire, skating ability and eagerness to go into the corners and dig out the puck, hopes to receive a college scholarship when his USHL eligibility ends with the playoffs. In the meantime, he's working for his father's drapery firm.
Doty is only 5 feet 9 inches and about 170 pounds, but he doesn't shy away from bigger foes or the other team's star.
In Des Moines' 9-7 first-round victory over St. Paul, Doty clashed head-on with Phil Housely, who is expected to be the first American drafted by the National Hockey League this summer.
"He was hitting with his stick all night," said Doty.
Doty received a rare 6-minute penalty for putting his stick in front of Horsley's face.
Doty was at his aggravating best last season in a game at Austin, Minnesota.
"Doty was in a fight with their biggest man," said Prediger. "Ted (Wiles, who along with Doty helped
Ankeny win the Metropolitan Hockey League title in 1980) came back to the bench smiling. I asked him what was so funny.
"He said that while the other guy was on Doty's back beating him, Doty yelled at him, 'You big s.o.b., is that all the harder you can hit?' "
Doty had a rough start this season and was suspended for five games by league officials after a hair-pulling incident involving former teammate Chris Winters at Waterloo.
Later he was suspended by Prediger, then quit the team. But he came back and won most-popular player honors.
Doty collected 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists in 40 regular-season games, but acquired a bad-boy image by totaling 134 penalty minutes, second only to defenseman Scott Lauder's 147 among the Bucs.
Doty shrugs off credit for the Bucs' playoff success after their sixth-place finish during the regular season.
"I'm just doing my job," he said, quickly adding about the playoffs: "It's not over yet!"