Most Valuable: Wade Lau

And then there was Wade Lau.

There was Boston College forward Robin Monleon with a flashy wrist shot at the nine-minute mark of the opening period. There were the last minute rushes by Eagles Billy O'Dwyer, Mark Switaj, Bobby Hehir and Gary Sampson at the crazy close of the second period. There was Switaj's sneaky flip-shot off a screen just into the third stanza. There was Eagle defenseman Mark Murphy's slapshot from the left point nine minutes into the third. There was Hehir 50 seconds later sweeping in on the Harvard net. There was the puck that landed on the back of the net at the ten-minute mark that led to a premature Eagle celebration. There was B.C. blueliner Jim Chisholm's vicious slapshot at 12:10. There were others, lost in the pages of an overflowing notebook and post-game ecstacy.

And then, there was Wade Lau.

Wade Lau making pad saves, and stick saves and glove saves. Wade Lau challenging the Eagle forwards like he never challenged opposing forwards in his life. Wade Lau sliding and diving and sprawling Wade Lau culminating his revival from an almost season-long slump at exactly the right time. Wade Lau doing everything he had to do and more.

The Crimson netminder turned away 15 Boston College shots last night at the Boston Garden, leading his icemates to a stick-breaking, rafter-shaking, ice-melting, give-me-a-hug 2-0 victory, for the Crimson's first Beanpot win since 1977.

For his efforts, which included a Beanpot record-breaking save percentage, the first shutout in a Beanpot championship since 1967, and only two goals allowed in the tournament (after facing two of the most powerful offenses in the land), Lau was named the tournament's outstanding goaltender and MVP.

Brian Petrovek was the last Harvard goaltender to garner the double honors, in 1977. It's no coincidence that Harvard last won the Beanpot that same year. There was Petrovek, and now there is Lau.

"This was Wade's shining moment," defenseman Mark Fusco, who had more than a few shining moments in the tourney, said. "This is the first time he's really shown what Wade Lau can do. We couldn't have won it without him."

"What can I say?" Crimson coach Billy Cleary said. "Wade is now playing the hockey that I knew and that he knew he could play. He was just super."

And what can Wade Lau, the recipient of all the hugs, of all the handshakes, the man with the Golden glove on one hand and the magic wand in the other, say? Was this the biggest thrill of his life?

"No doubt about it," the lanky goaltender grinned in a locker room full of cameras and pens and screaming teammates. "No doubt about it at all."

Last night at the Boston Garden, there was a Crimson revelation. And, at the crest of it all, there was Wade Lau.