Nov. 20, 2011

As a youngster in Hanover, Doug Carr was often coerced to play goal when he and his brothers laced up their skates at the local pond, or played a neighborhood game of street hockey.

So it goes with being the little brother.

"I always wanted to play with the older kids, so they shoved me into the net,'' said Carr, now 22.

"I haven't left the goal since.''

The days that he spent being peppered with pucks by his brothers, Ryan and Greg, prepared him well for his current role as a sophomore goalie at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the rigors of Hockey East.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Carr backboned the River Hawks to a pair of wins at the University of Maine last weekend, Lowell's first sweep at Alfond Arena since 1985.

"It was exciting for our young guys to get that experience, because playing at Alfond so closely mimics playoff hockey,'' said first-year UMass-Lowell coach Norm Bazin. "It's no easy task to come away from there with four points, but Doug had a very strong weekend. He played consistently and that's something that we're looking for as a team.''

Carr made 61 saves in the two-game series, turning away 30 shots in a 5-3 win on Friday night before making 31 more in a 4-3 victory on Saturday, in which Lowell rallied from a 2-0 deficit entering the third period.

Carr (4-1 record, 2.20 goals-against average) has won his last three starts, including a 7-1 decision against Boston University. The River Hawks (5-3, 3-2 Hockey East) have already equaled their win total from last season.

"We've been having trouble scoring the first goal in a lot of our games, so we've had to rely on our defense and on Doug,'' said Riley Wetmore, who is leading the team in scoring (6 goals, 3 assists). "Doug definitely kept us in the games early against Maine, which was crucial.''

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