SYRACUSE, N.Y., March 19-There's a corny line at the end of the Minnesota write-up in this weekend's NCAA program. It says, "Don't count them out until the final whistle blows."

Nine seconds before the final whistle sounded in tonight's Harvard-Minnesota semifinal game, the Gophers put in the tying goal and two minutes later in sudden death overtime put in the winner.

The 6-5 victory enables Minnesota to face the nation's number one team, Boston University, in tomorrow night's championship game at the Onondaga County War Memorial here. The demoralized Crimson will face Denver in the 2 p.m. consolation contest.

The first period tonight gave little indication of what was to come. Harvard completely outplayed Minnesota and scored three dazzling goals to the Gophers' one.

Harvard Worked Well

All three lines were working well and forechecking vigorously. The Gophers continually failed to clear the puck, and the Crimson took shot after shot at goalie Dennis Erickson. Meanwhile, the defense scattered the Gophers' few rushes. The press box people were remarking about the oddity of an all-Eastern final in a sport once dominated by Western teams.

Harvard scored its first two goals within a 19-second span in the middle of the first period. The first was scoredby Dave Hynes on a back-hander after he had carried the puck into the zone and fought off 215-pound captain Frank Sanders and Bruce MacIntesh.

Minnesota was playing its usual tough game, but Harvard was responding with good stickwork. Seconds later, Harry Reynolds brought the puck in on the right wing and was piled into the boards just as he got it off to Jay Riley in back of the net. Riley put the puck out to Tom Paul in front of Erickson, and Paul beat him easily.

When Bob McManama picked up a rebound on a Harvard power play at 18:32 and stickhandled it around two Gophers to beat Erickson a third time, it seemed that Minnesota's only hope was to avoid a slaughter.

Half a minute later Minnesota freshman John Matchsky brought his team within two goals with a shot by Bruce Durno from just outside the crease.

Inevitably, the second period followed, and a seemingly overconfident Harvard team had lost its edge. Within three minutes Riley and Doug Elliott drew penalties, and the Crimson was at a two-man disadvantage. Outstanding penalty-killing by Joe Cavanagh, Dave Jones, and Andy Burnes held Minnesota scoreless, however.

At 7:07 Cooch Owen put his team up, 4-1, after skating up ice with a pass from Kevin Hampe.

But Harvard was no longer outplaying the Gophers, and Durno, who ended up with 44 saves, was called on time and again. "We stopped skating, and they started skating." Crimson coach Cooney Weiland explained later.

Matchsky scored again from 15 yards out after the Harvard defense had blocked a shot from the point. Minnesota had the momentum as the third period began, and the first of two goals by Dean Blais made the score 4-3 at 0:28. Ten minutes later Blais had tied the game, and the Minnesota fans screamed for more.

When Jones went off for holding soon afterwards. Harvard was on the run. But Owen outraced the Gopher defense to get a loose puck along the right boards and put it by Erickson. Harvard had apparently salvaged the win.

Minnesota had every reason to give up when All-American Wally Olds went off at 17:56 for hooking, but it was Harvard which gave up. The Crimson power play was listless, and just before the penalty ended, Mike Antonovich took the puck from Cavanagh behind the Crimson net and sent it out frost where Matchsky was set up. The game was tied again.