The game was a 2-2 tie, but you couldn't tell it from the bowed heads and hushed voice in the Harvard men's hockey team's locker room Saturday at Bright Center.

"This was worse than when my dog died," said senior center Phil Falcone about the second night of the Crimson's ECAC quarterfinal series against Clarkson.

On the strength of its 3-1 victory in Friday's series opener, Clarkson (19-9-2) moves on to Boston Garden and next weekend's ECAC Final Four. For Harvard (10-14-3), it's time to turn in the equipment.

Falcone and eight other Crimson regulars will exchange helmet and jersey for cap and gown, never again to take the ice for the Crimson.

The seniors leave with an ECAC crown (junior year), a Beanpot championship (freshman year), three Ivy titles and a second-place finish in last year's NCAA tournament.

But 1983-84 didn't behave like the nice seasons of the past. For the first time in four years, there was no late-season streak for the first time in four years, there were no Boston Garden heroics.

Only six players stayed healthy enough to skate in all 27 games. Junior Brain Busconi led the team in scoring with just 18 points, a total so low it would have placed him 11th on last year's scoring list. Despite it all, Harvard won an Ivy championship and came within a goal of pushing Clarkson to a mini-game.

"We've struggled and didn't quit," Crimson Coach Bill Cleary said after Saturday's game. "We hung in there right to the end."

Trailing 1-0 in a game their opponent could afford to tie, the icemen rallied for a two-goal second period. If not for a freak third-period goal, Harvard would have broken a six-game Clarkson winning streak, forced the series to a mini-game, and perhaps returned to the Final Four for the third straight year.

"That was our best game of the year," senior Shayne Kukulowicz said. "I don't think anybody in this [locker] room's got anything to be ashamed of."

The Crimson came out forechecking, and Clarkson didn't get a shot on net in the first four minutes. But when Gord Sharpe's cross-checking penalty gave Harvard a man advantage, the Crimson power play failed to produce any scoring opportunities.

Senior Tony Visone blasted the puck just wide of the post at the seven-minute mark, then left the ice for slashing 14 seconds later Sophomore center Mike Harvey kept Crimson goalie Grant Blair busy, but Harvard emerged unscathed.

Clarkson opened the scoring with just 1:01 left in the period. Defenseman Bob Armstrong drilled a slapshot from the right faceoff circle. Blair made a stick save but couldn't cover up. The rebound came out to freshman Al Hill, who punched it home from the slot for his 16th goal of the season.

Blair stopped short-range shots from Harvey and Sharpe to keep the margin at one until the second of three second-period penalties on Clarkson defenseman Dave Fretz gave Harvard the chance it needed.

Randy Taylor's rocket from the right point rebounded to Crimson Ken Code at the left point. Code sent the puck in with a clang to tie the score at 12:09.