Colin Dorgan, Blackstone Valley Co-op win title after tragedy

The Rhode Island high school hockey team that was on the ice during a mass shooting 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 over No. 2 Lincoln and did so in dramatic 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 a wild celebration.

Again at the center of the playoff success was Colin Dorgan.

The senior’s mother, brother and grandfather were killed in the shooting that erupted while he was playing a Senior Day game with his Blackstone Valley Co-op teammates at Rhode Island’s Dennis M. Lynch Arena last month. Police identified Robert Dorgan as the shooter who killed ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and 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 wounds, and two others were severely injured.

The tragedy rattled a close-knit hockey community, with many wondering how the high school hockey season could continue. Yet in the weeks since, Dorgan not only repeatedly laced up his skates as team captain but performed so well that he helped propel the team to the Division 2 final thanks to his winning goal in double overtime in the semifinals last week.

In Wednesday’s final, it was Dorgan’s goal off of a deflection that tied the score with about 30 seconds left. Four overtimes later, teammate Jaxon Boyes won it.

Dorgan told reporters after the game that he was nervous to return, but his team and support network helped get him off the couch and push forward. He pointed to the heart patch sewn on the front of his jersey with the initials of his family members who were killed.

“Throughout all of the playoffs, even this game and the overtimes, I truly felt it in my heart and my soul that they’re still with me,” Dorgan said. “I love them so much.”

The ending was a much-needed catharsis for a team that has grappled with grief and trauma for weeks.

The chaotic attack was stopped after a handful of bystanders rushed the shooter as others in 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, struggled with what to do in the aftermath. The team took some time off, and the coach made sure 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, every player came back — including Dorgan, who took the longest to decide.

“I sent Colin a text saying, ‘Bud, playoffs are this Friday night, it’s your call,” Librizzi said. “He didn’t respond all day, but at about 9 o’clock at night, he sent me a text saying, ‘Coach I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.'”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.