The Harvard hockey team, out of the ECAC playoffs for the fifth straight year, finished its season by dropping a 5-2 decision to an equally eliminated Dartmouth squad in Hanover Saturday night.

The loss, Harvard's third in a row, gives the Crimson an 11-14-1 final mark, and an 8-12-1 ECAC ledger.

Dartmouth's senior goaltender Jim Jankowski, a caddy for superhero Bob Gaudet for most of his career, played in the finale and turned away 21 shots. The two he didn't get, a three-on-one poke by Jim Turner and a breakaway tally by Shayne Kukulowicz, ended the scoring in what has been a bittersweet campaign for the Crimson.

Ken

The game did not end the season fittingly. The Instant Karma line of Greg Olson (who led the team with 18 goals, adding 16 assists for 34 points), captain Tom Murray (11-23-34) and Mike Watson (15-15-30) including an assist on Turner's tally), did not score a goal. Neither did Mark Fusco, who shook off some early season blues to turn in a superb season, offensively and defensively, at the blueline.

And Wade Lau, whose sparkling mid season play in the nets led Harvard to a Beanpot title and back into the playoff chase, was out of action. Sidelined for the fourth straight game with a knee injury. Lau gave way to Steve Better, the junior varsity netminder making his first appearance with the big club.

Better played a fine game, but the fired-up Dartmouth squad owned the evening. As a capacity crowd of more than 4300 looked on, the Green"took a 3-1 lead on two Bruce Cullen goals, and unassisted markers by John Donnelly and Peter Lavery sealed the win early in the third period.

Tony

Kukulowicz's goal, from David Burke (who finished the season as the team's fourth leading scorer with 8-17-25), and Dave Connors, cut the margin to three, but that was it. A last-minute flurry by career-ending seniors produced nothing.

THE NOTEBOOK: Better's night went downhill after he left Hanover. His roommates ran into a snowstorm driving home from the contest in Better's car, and skidded to a halt somewhere in New Hampshire. Moments later, the car was struck by another car sliding down the road. Luckily, nobody was hurt. The driver of the other car? WHRB announcer Dennis Kennedy, who made his final hockey broadcast Saturday night. DARTMOUTH S. HARVARD 2 at Hanover, N.H. Harvard (11-14-1)  1  0  1-2 Dartmouth (10-16)  1  2  2-5

Scoring: D. Bruce Cullen (Carey Wilson, Tom Cross) 7:43; H. Jim Turner (Mike Watson) 14:16; D. Cullen (Cross) 2:43; D. Willson (Paul Butler, Mark Uhrynuk) 4:16; D. John Donnelly (unassisted) 4:37; D. Peter Lavery (unassisted) 7:06; H. Shayne Kukulowicz (David Burke, Dave Connors) 11:53.

Saves: D. Jim Jankowski 21; H. Steve Better 25 Attendence: 4335

Tuesday night's ECAC pairings: Top seeded Clarkson (17-2-1) hosts number eight New Hampshipe (13-10-1), Seventh-ranked Providence (12-9-1) visits Boston College (13-6-3), Northeastern, which lost its tenth straight game Saturday night, takes its number-six seed and 12-9 league mark to number-three Colgate (12-9-1), while Cornell (12-9-1) and number four) hosts Maine (12-9, number five). The winners will square off Friday night at Boston Garden, with the final and consolation at the Garden Saturday.