Four weeks after surviving a mass shooting at one of their games, the Blackstone Valley Schools co-op team are now state champions.
Defenseman Colin Dorgan lost his mother, brother, and grandfather when his father killed them during a game at the David M. Lynch arena in Pawtucket on Feb. 16. The father then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Incredibly, the gunman’s son, a 17-year-old North Providence senior, kept his head in the game, leading his team to an incredible underdog victory.
Not only did Colin Dorgan score the game-winning goal that advanced Blackstone Valley to the state championship in the first place, but also he scored the crucial goal that tied the championship game late in the third period, setting the stage for the victory.
Blackstone Valley went on to beat Lincoln 3-2 in quadruple overtime, winning the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Division II Boys Hockey Championship. The title game took place Wednesday at the Amica Mutual Pavillion in Providence.
“It’s been an emotional four weeks for this team,” coach Chris Librizzi told reporters after the game. “And when the season came to a halt, the kids were obviously upset, as were the coaching staff and everyone who was in the building. And then when (Colin Dorgan) came back to the locker room and decided to play with us to end the season, our level of competition went from about 15% to about 90%.”
The February 16 shooting at Lynch Arena sent Dorgan and his teammates scrambling off the ice in fear for their lives. Colin’s mother Rhonda Dorgan, brother Aidan Dorgan, grandparents and a family friend were all shot. Rhonda, Aidan and Colin’s grandfather Gerald Dorgan all died. Family friend Thomas Geruso was discharged from the hospital earlier this month.
The whole team wore a patch on their jerseys with the initials of the victims.
“Right on my chest,” said Dorgan, pointing to the patch after the game. “I think they were with me every step of the way.”
He said, “All through the playoffs, even in this game, in the overtimes, I truly felt it in my heart, in my soul, that they’re still with me.”
Since the tragedy, the players have cried, bonded, practiced, played and triumphed, Librizzi said. On Wednesday night, they celebrated by going out for pizza.
Dorgan credited his teammates with helping him begin to heal after the tragedy. He also thanked his sister for urging him to “get up off the couch” and keep competing.
“It’s nothing short of absolutely amazing what happened,” Dorgan said. “And I couldn’t have done it without these people next to me.”
“They made me feel like really one of their brothers,” he said.
