03/18/26 06:44:00
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03/18 18:43 CDT Rhode Island high school hockey team rallies to championship
after fatal ice rink shooting
Rhode Island high school hockey team rallies to championship after fatal ice
rink shooting
By KIMBERLEE KRUESI
Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) --- As Colin Dorgan stood before a deafening crowd
exploding in pride for his high school hockey team's championship win, secured
by a goal in an exhausting yet exhilarating quadruple overtime, three seats
were noticeably empty in the Rhode Island arena.
The high school senior's mother, brother and grandfather should have been there
to celebrate one of the most exciting moments in his hockey career, but that
opportunity was robbed when all three were killed in a shooting that erupted
while Dorgan was playing a game with his Blackstone Valley Co-op teammates.
The shooting rattled a close-knit hockey community, with many wondering whether
and 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 his team to the Division 2 boys' state championship,
where they won Wednesday 3-2.
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 lost family members.
"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 team's success has sparked national attention, fueled most recently by
Dorgan scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime in a playoff game this
month. That paved the way for the title match against Lincoln High School.
"It's just a game for Lincoln High School and for everybody that's coming here,
but for us who lived through that shooting? It's our lives. It's a tragedy we
all went through and are still healing from it," Blackstone Valley head coach
Chris Librizzi said, wiping away tears during an interview ahead of the game.
A rowdy crowd in the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence applauded, cried and
held their breath for three tense periods before Dorgan tied the score, leading
to four nerve-wracking overtime periods. Finally Blackstone Valley's Jaxon
Boyes netted the winning goal.
The ending was a much-needed catharsis for a team that has grappled with grief
and trauma for weeks.
Police have identified Robert Dorgan as the shooter who killed ex-wife Rhonda
Dorgan and son Aidan Dorgan on Feb. 16 in the stands of the ice rink in
Pawtucket. 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 chaotic attack was stopped after a handful of bystanders rushed the shooter
as the crowd fled. Robert Dorgan, who police say also went by the names Roberta
Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, ultimately died from an apparent self-inflicted
gunshot wound.
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 they 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.'"
Dorgan credited his sister, Ava Dorgan, who was at the Feb. 16 shooting but was
not injured, as key to helping push through the grief.
"She's very tough, she's a tough girl. And I thank her, because she just
totally filled the shoes of my mom," he said. "You eventually get back into a
cycle to where you gotta get up off the couch. That's the biggest and first
step to recovery."
At the team's first practice back on the ice, Librizzi had to stop the action
several times due to players being rattled. There have been tears, from the
coach to family members to even unconnected people following the team from
afar. Meanwhile questions remain about what life looks after the championship
game.
Librizzi is in awe of his team and the outpouring of support from the hockey
community in a time of need. Friends volunteered to stitch the hearts on the
front of the team's jerseys, and many Rhode Islanders are displaying hockey
sticks outside their homes in solidarity.
"We're all still struggling with it," Librizzi said. "We just need to be family
with each other, we need to be supportive of each other moving forward and to
heal from this."
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