Frozen Four: Providence Friars aim to party like it’s 2015

Providence celebrates its first trip to the Frozen Four since its national championship season in 2015. (Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images)

"History repeats itself.”

The context in which that phase is most often uttered is not positive, though the Providence Friars might feel differently after advancing to their second Frozen Four in the past five years as a result of their back-to-back NCAA East Regional wins over top-seeded Minnesota State and Cornell.

Eighth-year head coach Nate Leaman’s Friars will carry a 24-11-6 record to Buffalo after finishing second in the Hockey East standings but then losing to seventh-seeded Boston College in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.

After the Friars were eliminated from Hockey East title contention, there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding their NCAA fate. A championship upset in Hockey East or Bowling Green beating Minnesota State for the WCHA title would have left Leaman’s club on the outside of the national tournament field altogether.