Colin Dorgan, Blackstone Valley Co-op win title after tragedy
The Rhode Island high school hockey team, which was on the ice during a massive shootout in the stands last month, capped its season with a state title Wednesday.
No. 5 seed Blackstone Valley Co-op won the Division 2 championship against No. 2 Lincoln and did so in spectacular fashion, tying the score late in regulation and then winning it in the fourth overtime, 3-2, sending fans at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence into wild celebration.
Once again, Colin Dorgan was at the center of playoff success.
The senior’s mother, brother and grandfather were killed in the shooting that broke out while he was playing a Senior Day game with his Blackstone Valley Co-op teammates at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Rhode Island last month. Police have identified Robert Dorgan as the shooter who killed his ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and her son Aidan Dorgan on Feb. 16 in the stands. Authorities say the shooting was targeted. Colin Dorgan’s grandfather, Gerald Dorgan, was also shot and later died from his injuries, and two other people were seriously injured.
The tragedy has shaken a close-knit hockey community, and many are wondering how the high school hockey season could continue. Yet in the weeks since, Dorgan has not only laced up his skates multiple times as team captain, but performed so well that he helped propel the team to the Division 2 final with his game-winning double-overtime goal in the semifinals last week.
In Wednesday’s final, it was Dorgan’s goal on a deflection that tied the score with about 30 seconds remaining. Four overtimes later, teammate Jaxon Boyes won it.
Dorgan told reporters after the game that he was nervous about returning, but his team and support network helped him get off the couch and move forward. He pointed to the heart-shaped patch sewn on the front of his jersey with the initials of his slain family members.
“Throughout the entire playoffs, even this game and overtime, I really felt in my heart and soul that they were always with me,” Dorgan said. “I love them so much.”
The ending was a much-needed catharsis for a team that had been dealing with grief and trauma for weeks.
The chaotic attack was stopped after a handful of bystanders rushed the shooter while other members of the crowd fled. Robert Dorgan, who police said also went by the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, ultimately died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Blackstone Valley coach Chris Librizzi, a retired firefighter who has coached hockey for more than 30 years, didn’t know what to do next. The team took time off and the coach made sure the players participated in 10 days of counseling sessions.
He also gave each player the option of not returning to play, while encouraging anyone who made that choice to still show up on the bench or in the stands to support the team.
Despite some initial hesitation, all the players returned, including Dorgan, who took the longest to decide.
“I sent Colin a text saying, ‘Bud, the playoffs are Friday night, it’s up to you,” Librizzi said. “He didn’t respond all day, but around 9 p.m. he texted me saying, ‘Coach, I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.'”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
