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Colin Dorgan showed out for his Rhode Island high school ice hockey team again, and this time it happened in the championship.
Dorgan scored the tying goal for Blackstone Valley Schools with less than a minute remaining in the third period against Lincoln High School in the Division 2 boys state championship. That led to four grueling overtime periods before Blackstone ultimately won the game, 3-2, and captured the championship.
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Colin Dorgan scores the equalizing goal for Blackstone Valley Schools on March 19, 2026. (Eric Rueb/Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
He helped bring Blackstone Valley to the championship game itself last week when he scored the game-winning goal in double overtime.
Wednesday’s moment came weeks after a tragic shooting during one of his games in Rhode Island. A gunman identified by police as Robert Dorgan fatally shot his ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket. His son Aidan Dorgan and his father, Gerald Dorgan, were also fatally injured in the shooting.
The shooter, who identified as transgender, also went by the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, authorities said, adding that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Dorgan said after the championship that he was nervous about returning, but he had immense support from family, friends and teammates to get him off the couch and back on the ice.
“Throughout the entire playoffs, even this game and overtime, I really felt in my heart and soul that they were always with me,” Dorgan said. “I love them so much.”
Colin Dorgan celebrates with the championship plaque on March 18, 2026. (Eric Rueb/Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
HEROIC BYSTANDER SAYS LOOKING INTO THE EYES OF HOCKEY RINK SHOOTER DURING DEATH FIGHT
Blackstone Valley head coach Chris Librizzi was emotional before the game started.
“It’s just a game for Lincoln High School and everyone who comes here, but for us who lived through this shooting? It’s our life. It’s a tragedy that we all lived through and are still healing from,” he said.
Librizzi gave the team the option of not returning after the shooting and encouraged anyone who made the choice to walk away from the team to always show up on the bench or in the stands.
Every player came back.
“I sent Colin a text saying, ‘Bud, the playoffs are Friday night, it’s up to you,” Librizzi said. “He didn’t respond all day, but around 9 p.m. he texted me saying, ‘Coach, I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.'”
Dorgan thanked his sister, Ava, for helping him overcome poverty.
Colin Dorgan hugs his Blackstone Valley Schools coach on March 19, 2026. (Eric Rueb/Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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“She’s very tough, she’s a tough girl. And I thank her, because she totally replaced my mother,” he said. “You end up going back into a cycle where you have to get off the couch. That’s the biggest and first step to recovery.”
