The Rhode Island high school hockey player whose family was gunned down by his deranged transgender father during a game last month dramatically capped off his return to the ice Wednesday by helping his team win the state championship with a goal.
Colin Dorgan, a senior at Blackstone Valley Co-op high school, followed up the dramatic win by paying tribute to his slain family members, just weeks after the unimaginable tragedy.
“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 in a post-match news conference, reported ESPN.
“I love them so much,” he added, after pointing at a heart patch sewn on the front of his jersey with the initials of his lost loved ones.
Captaining the No. 5-seed side, Dorgan scored a goal off a deflection to tie the game with No. 2 Lincoln with 30 seconds left. Blackstone Valley went on to win the match 3-2 in the fourth overtime at Providence’s Amica Mutual Pavilion — thus earning the state Division 2 title.
Video shows the team celebrating wildly, with Dorgan in the center of the huddle, after the final buzzer went.
The joyous scene was a far cry from the horror of Feb. 16, when, at a rink in Pawtucket, RI, Dorgan’s transgender father, Robert, opened fire, killing his ex-wife, Rhonda, son Aidan, and father-in-law, Gerald Dorgan.
Two others were severely injured in the attack, which was stopped after several heroic bystanders rushed the shooter.
Robert Dorgan, who also went by the names Roberta Esposito and Roberta Dorgano, ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
After the shooting, it was revealed that the 56-year-old — who sports vile neo-Nazi tattoos — had recently undergone gender reassignment.
Robert Dorgan’s trans identity and unhinged personality were a source of multiple family court battles leading up to the shooting.
In the wake of the shocking attack, the Colin Dorgan’s coach, retired firefighter Chris Librizzi, gave every player the option of not returning to play, and made sure the squad received 10 days of counseling sessions.
Every single player returned, including Dorgan.
“I sent Colin a text saying, ‘Bud, playoffs are this Friday night, it’s your call,” Librizzi said at the news conference.
“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,’” he added.
It comes a week after Dorgan netted the game-winning goal to send his team to the Division 2 final on March 11.
Dorgan, who attends North Providence High School but plays for Blackstone Valley Co-op, called the day “the greatest moment of my life.”