Resilience on Ice: Inside Rhode Island Hockey Team’s Heartbreaking and Inspiring ESPN Film

A Rhode Island high school hockey team's story is the focus of a new ESPN documentary. Coach, I'll See You Tomorrow is a 14-minute doc that shows the highs and lows that the Blackstone Valley hockey team experienced during their 2025-26 season.

A Devastating Tragedy Tests a Rhode Island High School Hockey Team

Colin Dorgan was playing in his senior night game when suddenly shots were fired and he lost his mother, brother, and grandfather at the hands of his father, who then took his own life.

The shooting took place at a location that honestly I'm all too familiar with.
It was the local hockey rink where my former high school (East Providence) had many games that I attended. However, it wasn't until news coverage aired that I quickly realized I had closer ties to the story. I knew the head coach, Chris Labrizzi.

Get our free mobile app

From Grief to the Rink: Capturing an Unforgettable Season on Camera

He, Colin, and the entire team were rocked, but that didn't stop their season. In fact, they went on to win the state title, the final chapter of a story that caught the attention of the community, the hockey world, and even the eyes of ESPN.

We caught up with Librizzi months after the tragedy to see how the team was holding up.

Finding Strength Together: The Healing Power of the Team

"We're still struggling, believe it or not, but we're doing as well as everybody can expect we're doing," Librizzi said. "When we're together, the boys are great. They're smiling, they're laughing, they're happy when they're around one another. But when they go back and they're, you know, on an individual basis with other friends, they're not as happy as they are when we are together as a team."

Courtesy Chris Librizzi

Librizzi was approached about the ESPN coverage shortly after the tragedy. He then went to Colin and his sister Ava. Together, they agreed to cameras capturing their time on the ice.

Colin and Coach Librizzi were mic'd up for practice and games, but the documentary was never a sure thing; that is, until the team made it to the quarter finals, but even then nothing was definite.

A Historic Four-Overtime Championship and an ESPN Green Light

The team went on to win that game. It then won the semi-final. Now, the team had a shot at the championship.

Down 2-0 with five minutes to go, Blackstone Valley scored to bring that game to 2-1. "With 30 seconds left, the puck goes to Colin Dorgan on his stick, fires it home, and we tie the game with 30 seconds left," Librizzi said. What a moment for Dorgan.

Championship Sunday: The Dramatic Climax That Sealed the Deal

ESPN producers, one at the championship game and one at their headquarters in Bristol, CT, were in constant communication as the battle continued. One overtime led to two, then three. "Then we go to the fourth overtime and the producer who was at the game called the gentleman in Connecticut and said, 'they just won in the fourth overtime.' He said, 'tell the coach we're doing the story,'" Librizzi recalled.

Courtesy Chris Librizzi

You can watch Colin and Ava Dorgan as well as Coach Librizzi share their journey in Coach, I'll See You Tomorrow now on YouTube and Disney+.