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Bruins host Blackstone Valley co-op hockey team at practice after run to R.I. state title
“It's a family, and whenever we get an opportunity like this, we really cherish it."
Blackstone Valley Co-op boys’ hockey senior Camden Governo tried to stifle his laughter as he fielded questions from the media within the Bruins’ locker room on Monday.
For all of the tragedy and tribulations that BVS and the greater Rhode Island community have endured over the last month, Governo and his teammates’ grief has given way to smiles — ones that have been seemingly etched on their faces over the past week.
That continued on Monday, as the BVS Knights were in attendance for the Bruins’ practice at Warrior Ice Arena — with the reigning Rhode Island Division II state champions spending plenty of time rubbing elbows and snapping photos with their NHL heroes in Brighton.
“It’s amazing how the community can rally for all of us. And all the gifts we’ve gotten, it’s so special,” Governo said Monday, trying to keep his composure as his teammates kept trying to pile baseball caps atop his head in front of the cameras. “We’re so grateful for everything we’ve gotten. There’s nothing better than the community we have.”
(Camden Governo takes questions within the Bruins’ locker room.)
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As part of Monday’s visit, the whole BVS team had a front row seat to practice — banging on the glass and saluting up the Bruins as they took to the ice for their regular morning routine.
Once practice wrapped, the BVS players and coaches made their way onto the frozen sheet for a team photo with the Bruins, chatting and taking photos before heading into the locker room.
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm enjoyed taking the team around the facility before practice, with a few players asking David Pastrnak about what kinds of cars he drives.
“It was great,” Sturm said with a smile. “That was probably the best moment today.
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Blackstone Valley has relished the fruits of the successful championship run it orchestrated, culminating in a dramatic quadruple-overtime triumph against Lincoln High School in the state D-II title game last Wednesday.
It was a Cinderella run born out of heartbreak for the Knights.
In February, Blackstone Valley senior captain Colin Dorgan was out on the ice for the team’s “Senior Night” when three of his family members were killed during a tragic shooting in the stands at Pawtucket’s Dennis M. Lynch Arena.
Dorgan’s teammates and the greater Rhode Island community rallied around Dorgan, with Dorgan himself playing a critical role in the Knights’ coronation last week.
Dorgan tallied the game-winning goal in double overtime to lift BVS past Portsmouth in the Rhode Island D-II semifinals — before scoring the equalizing goal with 32 seconds left on the clock in the championship game. Jaxon Boyes later scored in 4OT to give BVS its first state title.
“That’s our brother,” Governo said of Dorgan. “We love him more than anyone, and we’re keeping him in our hearts.”
Dorgan was on hand for Monday’s trek to Warrior, with Jeremy Swayman crashing his video interview with a local news station and giving him a hug. Swayman later signed one of his jerseys for BVS captain and starting goalie Jacob Faria.
“It’s really cool when you get to see a local team like that come in and support the guys,” Swayman said. “And obviously we’re doing the same for them [with] what they’ve been through. The hockey world is such a tight-knit community.
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“It’s a family, and whenever we get an opportunity like this, we really cherish it. It’s so cool to have these guys in the locker room. To see their excitement and really enjoy the good things that hockey brings us every day is something that we can really celebrate.”
For Sturm, Monday’s visit and the opportunity to brighten up a young hockey team on a dreary Boston morning stood as a rewarding experience for the entire team.
“This is what I love about hockey, right? About hockey teams, because we’re all the same,” Sturm said. “Nobody else, I can tell you this, none of the other sports, not the basketball, football, nobody else at this time of year would bring in a team like that and would show them around and take time and talk to them.
Nobody else except the hockey guys,” he added. “I think that shows a lot, and I’m proud to be one of them. It’s always been that way and that’s why, for me, hockey is the best.”
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