Colin Dorgan puts R.I. team in hockey final weeks after tragedy
The hockey player who lost three family members in a mass shooting at a Rhode Island rink last month played the role of hero for his team Wednesday night.
Senior Colin Dorgan scored on a breakaway in double overtime, lifting Blackstone Valley Co-op to a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth and advancing to the Rhode Island Division 2 hockey final.
“Greatest moment of my life,” Dorgan told WPRI TV after his goal sent his teammates rushing onto the ice to celebrate and fans at Schneider Arena in Providence roaring with applause.
A month earlier, Dorgan’s brother, mother and grandfather were killed when a gunman, identified as Robert Dorgan, opened fire on spectators at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during Blackstone Valley’s senior game. Authorities said the shooter, who died from a gunshot wound, specifically targeted his family members. Two others were seriously injured.
All high school sports in Rhode Island were postponed for a week after the shooting. Blackstone Valley didn’t play for nearly three weeks, finally returning to the ice for the start of the D-2 quarterfinals late last week. All players on the team have a heart sewn onto the front of their jersey, with the initials of the three deceased inside.
Dorgan scored twice in No. 5 seed Blackstone Valley’s deciding game of this best-of-three quarterfinal series, bringing the team back onto the ice in the semifinals Wednesday night.
“The most important thing for us after the tragedy was to keep them together as a family,” coach Chris Librizzi told WPRI. “I was with [Colin] every day his sister and we as a group came together for 14 days straight. And I think that made a difference. The bonds this team has built every day over the past two weeks have been nothing short of superior. »
That was evident against top-seeded Portsmouth, with Dorgan putting the finishing touches on the upset with his 2OT winner with 48.1 seconds left.
“These are all my brothers here,” he told WPRI. “I love these kids and I know they love me too.”
Librizzi added at the end: “How much better can it be, right there?”
The J-2 final will take place March 18 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
