Jake Evans’ late goal sends Notre Dame to Frozen Four final

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Jake Evans scored his second goal of the game with 5.2 seconds left and Notre Dame beat Michigan 4-3 on Thursday in the Frozen Four semifinals.

Charging down the slot, Evans redirected a pass from Cam Morrison off the left pad of sliding goalie Hayden Lavigne and into the net to send the Irish to their second championship game in school history.

Notre Dame, which fell to Boston College for the 2008 title, will face Minnesota Duluth Saturday for the title. The Bulldogs scored two quick goals and held off Ohio State 2-1 in the other semifinal.

Andrew Oglevie had a goal and an assist, Cal Burke also scored, and Cale Morris stopped 25 shots for the Irish (28-9-2). Jordan Gross had two assists.

The Big Ten-champion Irish have five straight wins, but are 9-6-1 in their last 16 games since a 16-game win streak ended Jan. 21.

Tony Calderone and Dexter Dancs had a goal and an assist and Michael Pastujov also scored for the Wolverines (22-15-3), who lost for just the fourth time in 14 games. Lavigne made 25 saves.

Burke gave the Irish a 3-2 lead early in the third, redirecting a pass from Dylan Malmquist inside the left post, but Patujov scored on a rebound with 5:22 left in regulation to tie the game 3-3.

Calderone scored midway through the first, coming out of the corner and putting a wrist shot past Morris from the left dot. It was his team-leading 25th goal.

Dancs shot from the left wall deflected off the arm of Notre Dame’s Dennis Gilbert in front of the net for a 2-0 Michigan lead 17 seconds into the middle period, but Oglevie answered for Notre Dame just over two minutes later with his eighth power-play goal of the season.

A one-timer from Evans tied it at 6:20.