MONTREAL - Jake Evans is headed to the Frozen Four for the second straight year.

That's because his University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish handed the Providence College Friars a 2-1 loss in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional Final on Saturday night in Bridgeport, CT.

The 21-year-old centerman picked up an assist on Notre Dame's first goal of the game, before Dylan Malmquist scored the game-winning goal with just 27 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Tweet from @NCAAIceHockey: Dylan Malmquist sends the Fighting Irish to the #FrozenFour!!! pic.twitter.com/Bc6oQyVscg

Fellow Canadiens prospect, goaltender Hayden Hawkey, made 23 saves in the loss, which ended the Friars' season.

For his part, Evans also collected an assist on the decisive marker in Friday night's 4-3 overtime win over Michigan Tech. That kept Notre Dame's bid for its first-ever national title alive.

Clinching a spot in the Frozen Four was a top priority for Evans and the Irish after seeing their title hopes dashed last spring in the national semi-finals at the hands of the University of Denver, the eventual champion.

"All year I think we've been wanting to redeem ourselves and get that opportunity again. We've been working really hard this year," said Evans, a Toronto native and the squad's senior captain, following Saturday night's victory. "The past is the past, and this year we're a new team. We're just excited to get there and show what we've got."

Tweet from @NDHockey: Another dramatic win and we���re heading back to the #FrozenFour pic.twitter.com/RnxuK2IUH2

The Irish will open the Frozen Four - scheduled for April 5 and 7 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN - against the winner of Sunday's Northeast Regional Final matchup between Boston University and the University of Michigan.

Evans was the only Habs hopeful to move on, as Ryan Poehling (St. Cloud State University) and Cayden Primeau (Northeastern University) were both eliminated in the first round of their respective regionals over the weekend.