WARWICK – Friday evening was an attempt for the state’s hockey community to move on.
Normal? It feels a long way from however you might define that in 2026.
Bishop Hendricken used part of its practice time this week to discuss evacuation routes at Thayer Arena. Pilgrim asked its student section to wear orange instead of its usual black and white while promoting gun violence awareness.
The Hawks and Patriots shared the center circle as one for a pregame moment of silence. Bishop Hendricken’s eventual 2-1 victory in a thriller between Division I rivals started with a common purpose. Each player was touched in some way by the horrific Feb. 16 shooting in Pawtucket that left three dead and three critically wounded at Lynch Arena.
“It’s tragic,” Pilgrim goalie Michael Bessette said. “Practice has been a little gloomy. But we tried to bring awareness and show everyone what hockey is really about.”
“When it comes to Rhode Island, it’s like, ‘Wow, it’s kind of real,’” Bishop Hendricken defenseman Ethan Sykora said. “It feels like it could happen at any time.”
Sykora is a Coventry native. He counts multiple former youth teammates on that high school's current co-op roster with Johnston. Those fellow teenagers skated for their lives when gunfire erupted in the stands, barricaded into their own locker room by coach Joseph Stringfellow until law enforcement arrived to clear the scene.
“Gun violence in general needs to end,” Sykora said. “There’s no place for it. Mental health, too – something was wrong. You need to go talk to someone.
“I feel like that needs to be pushed out there a little more. That can prevent something like that from happening.”
Sykora added an orange strip of tape to the light blue already featured on the shaft. That’s meant to raise awareness for the Shoulder Check program, a mental health initiative backed by the NHL, ESPN and Madison Square Garden, among others. Multiple mass school shootings in America over the last three decades have been carried out by current or former students who were victims of bullying or marginalized by their peers in some way.
“You have to reach out,” Sykora said. “There’s no reason to make yourself suffer. There are plenty of people in this world who are going to help you – me included.
“I never shy away from anyone. I never want to exclude anyone.”
Finding healing on the ice
Bessette made 38 saves in a sharp performance for the Patriots, beaten only by some tic-tac-toe passing in front and a tipped shot from the point that left him no chance to react. What happened elsewhere this week, his own student section lining the glass, the growing buzz in the crowd as the third period went on – it all melted into the background once the puck dropped.
“You lose track of everything,” Bessette said. “You’re so focused and dialed in. You’re just focused on the game and ready to play.”
Cullen Crain and Mason Crain set up Nick DiRaffaele at the left post to put the Hawks (16-2-0) in front midway through the first period. Tiernan Leahy netted the eventual winner at 1:25 of the third when he redirected a Tuckerman Camera drive between the circles. Paul Smith answered for Pilgrim (12-8-1) when he converted a turnover in the neutral zone to a breakaway goal barely a minute later.
“We had a great crowd tonight,” Bessette said. “It’s always good going against Hendricken. We practice in the same rink.
“It’s just fun. It's really fun.”
Blackstone Valley’s co-op – North Providence, North Smithfield, Providence Country Day and St. Raphael – has canceled the remainder of its regular-season games. Its own road to true healing will be considerably more difficult after losing members of its extended family so senselessly. Bessette found some solace in a return to action and the resources he has available if needed.
“There’s no shame in asking for help if you need it,” Bessette said. “If you ever have mental health problems you should always go to whoever you can.
“Whether it’s a teacher, a therapist – whoever. Your mental health is the most important thing in your life.”
Bishop Hendricken 2, Pilgrim 1
First period – BH, Nick DiRaffaele (Mason Crain, Cullen Crain), 8:10. No penalties.
Second period – No scoring. Penalties – P 1-2, BH 1-2.
Third period – BH, Tiernan Leahy (Tuckerman Camera, Karlton Lough), 1:25; P, Paul Smith (unassisted), 2:29. Penalties – P, 1-2.
Shots on goal – P, 6-7-10 – 23; BH, 16-12-12 – 40. Saves – Michael Bessette, P, 38; Zach Fontenault, BH, 22.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Hendricken boys hockey beats Pilgrim 2-1 february 20 2026