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 into the Rhode Island Division 2 hockey final.
“Greatest moment of my life,” Dorgan told WPRI TV after his goal sent teammates pouring onto the ice in celebration and fans at Schneider Arena in Providence roaring with applause.
A month earlier, Dorgan’s brother, mother and grandfather were killed when a shooter, identified as Robert Dorgan, opened fire on spectators at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during Blackstone Valley’s senior day game. Officials have said the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gun wound, was specifically targeting family members. Two others were critically 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 stitched on the front of their jerseys, with the initials of the three who died within it.
Dorgan scored a pair of goals in No. 5-seed Blackstone Valley’s clinching game of that best-of-three quarterfinal series, putting the team back on the ice in the semifinals Wednesday night.
“The biggest thing for us after the tragedy took place was to keep them together as a family,” coach Chris Librizzi told WPRI. “I was with [Colin] every single day, and his sister, and we as a group, as well, got together for 14 days straight. And I believe it made a difference. The bonding that this team went through every day the last two weeks has been nothing less than 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 out here,” he told WPRI. “I love these kids, and I know they love me, too.”
Added Librizzi of the ending: “How much better can that be, right there?”
The D-2 final is March 18 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.