UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Doug Dorr's hockey journey began when he was 3 years old.
Dorr was watching hockey on a "tiny television set," and asked his dad if he could play. The following week Dorr and his father purchased hockey gear and he got on the ice.
While he started his hockey career as a center, Dorr was always drawn to goaltending.
"I would always go back to the net – and this was maybe when I was 6 or 7 – I would always go back to the net, try to save pucks and my coach goes, 'What are you doing?' (I) eventually switched to (playing both center and goalie), and then I think when I was 8 or 9, I switched full time and started getting in the net," Dorr said.
Prior to becoming a Nittany Lion, Dorr played between the United States Hockey League (USHL), the North American Hockey League (NAHL), and the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) during the 2019-2020 season. Dorr played with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, the Northeast Generals of the NAHL, and the Boston Jr. Bandits and the Utica Jr. Comets of the NCDC.
Dorr ended the 2018-2019 season with the NAHL's Topeka Pilots with 18 games played and a save percentage of .919. Wanting to make the jump to the USHL, Dorr decided to play for the Youngstown Phantoms at the start of the 2019-20 season. He played a less than successful game, and being on a team with two other great goalies, Dorr wanted to jump to a team that was a better fit. He went to the Northeast Generals of the NAHL and played one game then moved to the Boston Jr. Bandits before finishing the season with the Utica Jr. Comets of the NCDC.
"Just kind of struggling because I (felt) like I lost a little bit of my edge. When you get traded around enough, you got 20 friends here, 20 friends there, and it just becomes really difficult. So, I reached a point where I realized that I want to go somewhere I want to be," Dorr said. "I want to be there for longer than a few weeks, and whatever happens with hockey happens. I want to take control of my life and what I want to do – and Penn State was that."
Dorr had friends who went to Penn State, and after going to the White Out game against Michigan in 2019, he knew where he wanted to go next.
"Seeing the tailgates, and the people, and the hysteria that was going on, I realized that there's no other place I really want to be," Dorr said. "In the back of my head that entire year (I was) playing, I (was thinking) 'I really hope Penn State works out, I really want to go there.'"
As Dorr was focused on attending Penn State from an academic perspective, hockey still lingered in the back of his mind. While he was supposed to play for the club team as a freshman last year, the club season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To him, his career was over. Accepting that though, wasn't easy.
Dorr missed being a part of a team. He missed the team environment and having people to hang out with that were in the hockey community. After spending 19 years surrounded by the sport, letting go of it was hard.
"I spent a lot of time thinking, 'You had your time, you had your fun. Just focus on getting good grades and developing a social life here.' When I got the call (to play for the program) this summer, I didn't realize I wanted to do it. But the entire time I kept thinking I've really missed hockey, I've really missed being a part of a team. I'm just so ecstatic that everything worked out the way it did," Dorr said.
Starting his sophomore year on a team again, Dorr is happy to have the team environment once again. Dorr felt welcomed by the team and is especially close with team captains, Paul DeNaples, Adam Pilewicz, Connor McMenamin, and junior Kenny Johnson. Johnson is "like a brother," to Dorr.
"I love all the guys, I can't say enough to their character...I'm just honored to be a part of it," Dorr said.
A year ago, Dorr thought his hockey journey was behind him. He was ready to close the door on the sport and go in a new direction. But a text from associate head coach Keith Fisher over the summer changed all that.
"To come here, be happy with just being here, and then to get the extra – 'Hey, you're going to be part of the program,' it's everything I've wanted," Dorr said. "Everything I've dreamed has come true."
