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Colin Dorgan scores the winning goal for the Blackstone Valley hockey team less than a month after his mother, brother and grandfather were killed in a shooting
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“This is the greatest moment of my life,” Dogan said after the 3-2 win on Wednesday, March 11
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Blackstone Valley head coach Chris Librizzi said the team immediately rallied around Dorgan to offer support following the tragedy.
Colin Dorgan celebrated the “greatest moment” of his life less than a month after losing his mother, brother and grandfather in a mass shooting carried out by his father.
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All eyes were on the 17-year-old Dogan inside Providence Snyder Arena on Wednesday, March 11, when he scored in double overtime to lead his Blackstone Valley Co-op teammates to a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth, sealing his team’s ticket to the Rhode Island Division II hockey finals.
“This is the greatest moment of my life,” Dogan told WPRI-TV after the win. “My good friend fed me the puck and I could hear the crowd. It was a surreal moment,” he added.
“I literally cried like a baby,” head coach Chris Librizzi told the media. “The floodgates are open.”
According to ESPN, Blackstone Valley players have hearts stitched on their jerseys with the initials of multiple family members stitched on them. Dogan told WPRI that his teammates have been extremely supportive during the tragedy. “It’s a tough time for everyone. We support each other and we really love each other,” he said, calling his teammates his “brothers.”
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“We have to stick together,” Dorgan added, WPRI reported.
Dorgan’s mother Rhonda, brother Aidan and grandfather Gerald were killed on Monday, February 16, when a suspect, Robert Dorgan, also known as Roberta, opened fire during a Blackstone Valley Senior Day game at Dennis M. Lynch Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. His grandmother, Linda, was also seriously injured, according to WPRI.
The gunman, who specifically targeted family members in the shooting, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, ABC News reported.
Rhode Island high school sports were postponed a week after the shooting, and Blackstone Valley’s hockey team suspended play for nearly three weeks, ESPN reported.
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Liebritz told WPRI that his players “came together every day” to support Dogan after the shooting. “We skate together or work out or have dinner together in the evening for 14 days straight. I’m sure it makes a difference,” he told the outlet.
Dogan told WPRI he felt supported. “I know everyone out there loves me and I love them,” he said.
As of March 12, a GoFundMe set up to support Dogan and his sister Ava had earned more than $311,000. Proceeds will be used to “pay for basic living expenses and continuing education expenses,” according to the fundraiser.
Read the original article on People
