Special doesn’t begin to describe this moment.

PublishedMarch 12, 2026 7:46 AM EDT•UpdatedMarch 12, 2026 7:46 AM EDT

FacebookTwitterEmailCopy Link

Rhode Island youth hockey player Colin Dorgan experienced what he described as “the greatest moment of my life” on Wednesday after scoring the game-winning goal to send his team to the state championship game. That’s significant, given that while he was on the ice less than a month ago, he experienced an unthinkable tragedy that will live with him for the rest of his life.

Dorgan, a high school senior and captain for the Blackstone Valley co-op team, lost his mother, brother, and grandfather after his father murdered them in the stands during a game at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on February 16. 

Dorgan’s father, Robert Dorgan, was a 56-year-old transgender person who also went by the name Roberta Esposito. Robert, who turned the gun on himself after opening fire, had undergone gender reassignment surgery in 2020. Colin’s mother divorced Robert in 2021.

Colin wore a patch on his uniform with the initials of his late mother, brother, and grandfather on Wednesday as he scored the double-overtime game winner. As he put his hands on his head while celebrating, he was hounded by his teammates in the incredibly special moment.

“My good buddy fed me the puck, and I could hear the crowd. It was a surreal moment, Colin told WRPI-TV. “We have to stick together it’s a hard time for everyone. We have each other’s back, and we truly love each other. These are my brothers.”

His goal came with just 48 seconds left in the second extra frame.

Blackstone Valley coach Chris Librizzi was overcome with emotion in the moment, and explained that his team has stuck together in impressive fashion in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“I literally cried like a baby, the floodgates opened,” Librizzi told the outlet. “When I saw him open, I knew he was golden.”

“The biggest thing for us after the tragedy took place was to keep them together as a family,” Librizzi told the outlet. “I was with [Colin] every single day, and his sister, and we as a group, as well, got together for 14 days straight. And I believe it made a difference. The bonding that this team went through every day the last two weeks has been nothing less than superior.”

The Division II state final is set for March 18 in Providence.