Dolder is Hutch hockey's best ever

There is one name that is atop every stat, and there are many others who have found the back of the net. Also, many of the records are a pair of players who scored off of each other.

This week we look back at the players who made an impact on the program and put together some great runs during their times.

DOLDER REIGNS SUPREME

Ryan Dolder played for Tiger hockey from 1991 to 1995. Dolder is the leader in single-season goals, assists and points, as well as the career leader in goals, assists and points.

He got those points by being more physically dominant than the other players on the ice, according to his former coach and current Tiger hockey assistant coach, Todd Grina.

But Dolder wouldn't have all of those goals if it wasn't for his line mate for many years, Marc Docken. Docken is third in career goals with 75 and second in assists (63) and points (168). The tandem played together since they were young and knew each others strengths and weaknesses.

“We just had a good core group of players that played for three years for us,” Grina said. “Over that time they developed a great chemistry.”

A STANDOUT SEASON

Riley Bengston had a memorable senior campaign. In the 2008-09 season, Bengston netted the second most goals in school with 41 and the second most points with 67.

Bengston was not the only Tiger with a standout 2008-09 season. Mitchell Cowger dished out 41 assists on the year for second best, 41 goals, 41 assists.

The duo led the team to a 20-9-1 record and their fourth section title in school history. They were quite similar to this years team as they breezed through the section tournament only allowing three goals. History likes to repeat itself and the team was also drubbed by the Warroad Warriors 7-1. In the consolation round, the team pulled out the overtime thriller over Mahtomedi but were not able to capture the championship with a 3-1 loss to Rochester Lourdes/Dover-Eyota. It was still a season to remember for the team and the duo.

“Mitchell was the play maker, Riley was the goal scorer,” Grina said. “He had a knack for scoring goals.”

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Cowger is not the only one in his family that has a spot in the record books. Mitchell's younger brother Matthew is third in single-season goals with 36 that he set back in 2014-15.

Matthew was the youngest of four brothers, which really helped him on the ice. That work led him to second in career goals (84), fifth in assists (69), and fourth in points (153). He may not have been big like Mitchell, but he worked as hard as any of them,

“You got four older brothers that you're competing with in the driveway every day,” Grina said. “You're the youngest so you got to work really hard to keep up with the older brother. I'm sure it was the competitive nature of being brothers.”

Docken also comes from a hockey family, his dad was the coach at the time and his brother also played. The three-headed monster of Docken, Dolder, and Jeff Martin propelled the team in a new direction.

“Their senior year I think we scored more short-handed goals than we gave up in power play goals,” Grina said.

Jeff's younger brother, Justin, was another beneficiary of having the sport run in the family. Justin is one of the great passers in Hutch history with 91 career assists which is good for third all-time. His 156 points is also good for third in school history.

The standout measurable from the hockey program throughout the last 25-30 years is that it has remained a consistent winner. Some years are better than others, but it has been more retool than rebuild. That's the plan as the next wave of Tiger hockey players come through the program.

“When I look at other programs like even Litchfield, Willmar, they get a group of players and they have a couple of really good years and then they're down again," Grina said. "(Hutch) is always one of the the top three, four for sure, if not one or two teams (in the section). It says a lot about the consistency of the program and the coaches, youth hockey, and all the way up.”