Who is David Lau....

As I watched the Cornell/Harvard game on Saturday, I learned a few things in that game.

First thing I learned is that, as I spoke about earlier in the season, Harvard will give Cornell a run for its money in the Ivy League Tournament.  This Harvard team is good and is a "sleeper" as College Crosse defines it as the season heads down the final stretch.  They are second in the Ivy League in goals scored and show up for big games.

With senior attackman Dean Gibbons leading the offense, I can see the Crimson taking three of their final four games:

I think the Cornell loss was a wake up call for the Crimson and was one of those quintessential moral victories.  They proved to a packed Harvard Stadium that they can hang with the Ivy and the nation's top teams.  They were able to slow down Rob Pannell (2 goals) and if it wasnt for the emergence of David Lau, this would have been a nice, easy win for the Crimson. 

But thats sports, thats what teammates do.  They step up when they are asked to and when their teammates need it the most.  And Lau did on Saturday with five goals and three assists.

So who is David Lau.  Well first off, he is a senior attackman who is second on the Big Red with 28 points.  He is also third on the team with 18 goals. 

Lau's career has been up and down.  A highly touted recruit out of Cold Spring Harbor, NY, some thought Lau would come in and push for playing time his freshman and sophomore years.  He did see time, most notably towards the end of the 2009 season, when the Big Red made their run to the 2009 National Championship. 

Before his big 2011 season, some would say Lau is most notably known for his crucial turnover in the '09 Championship game in which Syracuse defenseman Matt Tierney stripped Lau of the ball with just 1:30 remaining and the Big Red leading the game.  We all know how the game ended up.

But that was then and this is now.  Lau is having a huge season for coach Ben DeLuca and is a major reason why the Big Red are a feared team not only in the Ivy League but the entire nation.

Many people asked who would help out Pannell as the season went on and if the Big Red could win with no support for Pannell.  In a game where the Crimson were able to limit Pannell, Lau stepped up huge with his eight point performance.

Lau stacks up well in points per game in the Ivy League:

This is a big deal for Big Red fans and a big deal for the Syracuse Orange tonight. With John Lade still not 100 percent, Cornell will go after Lade and also look to free up Lau.