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.