The Season's Over; Wisconsin Prevails, 6-1, 4-3

MADISON, Wisc.--With just one tick of the clock left. Wisconsin right wing Pete Johnson, son of Badger coach Bob Johnson and brother of the Pittsburgh Penguins' Mark Johnson, playing in the last home game of his career, nudged the puck past Harvard goal-tender Wade Lau to give the Badgers a 4-3 win over the Crimson last night here at Dane County Memorial Coliseum before 8373 very partisan fans.

The Wisconsin win, coupled with its 6-1 triumph over Harvard on Saturday night, clinched the two-game, total goals, NCAA quarter-final series for the Badgers, 10-4, sending them into next weekend's NCAA championships at the Civic Center in Providence.

Wisconsin (34-10-1), the defending national champion, will meet New Hampshire in the semi finals on Friday. North Dakota faces Northeastern in the other semi final on Thursday night.

The last-second loss left Harvard with a final overall record of 13-15-2, for the Crimson's fifth straight losing season, albeit one that will be long remembered for the icemen's gutsy and often outstanding play, always coming back and playing best when it counted.

"I was pleased with the way out kids came back [after the opening game]," Harvard Coach Bill Cleary said "It's easy to get down when you're down five goals, but we didn't and that was a very tough way to lose the game."

Had Cleary ever lost one that close to the end before "No. I don't think so," he said, "and I don't want to do it again either."

Wisconsin's Johnson was more than happy with his son's down-to-the wire effort.

"I was very satisfied with the tie tonight. Badger Bob said, "The bonus--and it was a big bonus--is the momentum it will give us going into the game next weekend."

In the first period last night, the icemen played the Badgers tough and they played them even.

The Crimson didn't get a shot on net for the first 7 27 of the game, and it was the goaltending of Lau that kept them even. The senior netminder denied Tim Thomas from point blank around the 2 20 mark, and then make two straight saves on the ever-present Todd Leey, who had scored two goals the night before.

Brian Busconi started the Crimson on its way, getting Harvard's first shot on Badger netminder Marc Behrend at 7 27 Wisconsin already had eight shots on Lau at that point and then taking a lead pass from Mark Fusco, breaking in alone on the left, and slipping the puck between Behrend's pads for a 1-0 Crimson lead at 8 15.

After the teams traded penalties--an elbowing call on Alan Latchfield at 8:35 was Harvard's first penalty in Madison in more than 68 minutes, one man show Busconi almost did it again, stealing the puck at the tight point and riding in on Behrend. The Badger goalic was up to the task this time, however and pushed the Harvard freshman's shot off to the side.

The Badgers got the equalizer at 14 08, when a Steve McKenze snapshot from 30 feet went past a kicking Lau.

Thirty seven seconds later, Neil Sheehy and the Badgers Ted Pearson, who appears ready and willing to badger anybody that happens to be around got into a little scrap alongside the Harvard net, and each took a roughing penalty. However Sheehy had a slash tacked on for good measure, and so Harvard would be short handed for two minutes after Pearson returned to the ice.

Only 35 seconds into the Badgers man advantage situation, right wing Pat Flatley stuffed rebound of a Pearson shot past a sprawling Lau Wisconsin looked like it would take the 2-1 lead to the lockerroom.

But at 19:07, Thomas went off for elbowing and the Harvard power play had a chance to knot the score, a chance the icemen quickly took advantage of

Scott Fusco took a pass from his brother at center ice and proceeded to work some of that old magic so familiar to the Bright Center crowd with winger Greg Olson Fusco skated through the middle and in on Behrend, slip ping the puck to Olson at the last second. The junior heat Behrend to the short side at 19 16 to even the score at two.

However, before the teams could get off the ice there was more than a little excitement.

Just as the buzzer sounded, Ken Code rode Pearson into the sideboards and the two went down in a heap. As the teams skated off the ice to the lockerroom. Badger John Newberry took a cheap shot at Code and before it was over five players were assessed with penalties, all at 20 00 at the first period.

For Harvard, Code got a double minor for roughing and Sheehy also picked up a minor for roughing, although he may not even have been involved. Wisconsin penalties went to Newberry (roughing). Flatley (a double minor for roughing and Pearson (roughing plus a 10 minute misconduct)

The roughing penalties all expired without a score after the second period started, but Wisconsin continued to suffer from the referee's whistle Lecy was nailed for high sticking at 4 47 and All American defense man Bruce Driver went off for interference at 5.14 to give Harvard a five on three advantage for a little more than a minute and a half.

The Crimson failed to capitalize, however, as Wisconsin proved to be one of the finest penalty killing teams it has faced this year

The Badgers went off one time too many, though, and after McKenzie took a trip to the box for booking at 11.50, the power play put Harvard in the lead.

Behrend made the save on a Litchi field snapshot from the left point, but the rebound dropped in front to Greg Chalmers, who tapped it into the net at 13 31, giving the Crimson a 3-2 lead.

But Badger Bob's Boys bounced back, as Ken Keryluk and Scott Sabo worked a pretty three on two drop pass and Keryluk rifled the puck past Lau's stick side to even the score at three at 17 09.

Both goalies made the stops they had to in the third period, and although each team had three power plays, neither could break the deadlock.

Until the lock ran out one second too late.

In Game One, the Crimson played the Badgers close for two periods--despite trailing 4-1 heading into the final 20 minutes, but, as Clearly said they "just ran out of gas in the third perusal."

Because Harvard started to lag, Wisconsin was able totally two key goals--the last with just four seconds left on the clock--in the last six minutes of the contest. "That last goal was a very big goal," Badger Bob said after the game, dragging out the "very" for all it was worth.

But the icemen's biggest trouble on the first night was coughing up the puck, especially in their own end. Unofficially, they handed the puck to a Wisconsin player 34 times in the Harvard zone. And the worst thing you can do against a team that takes advantage like the Badgers is to give them extra opportunities.

Harvard couldn't get a break in the game right from the first drop of the puck, as Greg Olson was called for the only Crimson penalty of the night, an extremely questionable check-from-behind, only 26 seconds into the game.

Though the Crimson power play kept the Badgers off the board, 11 seconds after the teams were back at full strength, left-wing Brian Mullen flipped the puck over Law, who was lying on his stomach following a save on a Chris Chelios slapshot, from the point, Wisconsin led, 1-0.

After Badger net minder Terry Kleisinger stifled Harvard's Shayne Kukulowicz on a shot from right in front at about the eight-minute mark. Wisconsin was right back at the Crimson again, and following a big scramble in front of Lau. Thomas--pulled a loose puck out of the pile and flipped it into the open net, for a 2-0 Badger lead at 8:47.

Harvard had three power plays in the first period, but on each one, Kleisinger proved impenetrable and was especially effective turning aside slap shots from the point.

Through the first 10 minutes of the second period, the two goaltenders traded pretty saves. A Pat Ethier blast from the point did get past Lau but clanged off the right post much to the chagrin of the Coliseum crowd.

At 11 52, Harvard had its moment of glory on the night, when Charmers took a pass at the Badger blue line, skated in on Kleisinger all alone, faked the goalie to his knees with a move to the left, and plunked the puck into the back of the net to cut the Wisconsin margin to one.

But less than two minutes later, Badger center Sabo pumped a shot from five feet between the pads of Lau, and the Badgers never looked back, padding their 3-1 lead in the game and the series with two goals from Lecy and one from Johnson with--believe it or not--just four seconds left in the game