It’s tough to lose any game, but it’s even tougher when you played well and the result remains the same. The Mercyhurst Lakers slipped by this Saturday with a one-goal win that made the men’s hockey team’s at-large NCAA bid exponentially difficult. Once again, it looked like the team has to take home the ECAC championship in order to keep its postseason hopes alive.

But all is not lost.

Whether the Faithful noticed or not, a much improved hockey team took the ice this weekend. Gone is the boring defensive style that head coach Mike Schafer is known for — forward lines took chances instead of the default dump and chase. Although official box scores only registered 19 shots on goal, everyone was on the edge of his or her seats waiting for the Red to score at any minute.

Saturday’s outcome could have been much different if a few players didn’t miss their defensive assignments, but with the firepower and enthusiasm that was on display, who cares? The team can do drills and work on defense, but this kind of instinctual offense has been a rarity during these recent years I’ve been watching Cornell hockey. Sure, there’s still a lot of work to do, but I’d rather see the Red lose the way it did this weekend than watch the team win by one and play like last year.

Most things in life aren't perfect, and a team that learns from its mistakes and continues to grow will eventually become champions — not one that’s been static and on top of the polls all season. More importantly, once the Red has perfected this new aggressive style by the end of the season, it will become much more competitive nationally. While it is nice to go to the ECAC playoffs in Atlantic City, it would be even better to beat B.U. and Colorado College and hopefully erase the setback for the at-large bid.

In preparation of facing the Elis and Bears, Cornell needs to continue its work on improving passing and positioning players near the goal. Additionally, there were numerous instances when defensemen missed their assignments, a rarity for the Red, that caused unnecessary turnovers and goals. Veterans Branden Birch and Keir Ross dropped the ball at some key moments, but I have full confidence that these guys will pick themselves back up before Friday.

Goaltender Andy Iles disappointed with a shaky performance, even though he’s Schafer’s “No. 1.” Not to take credit away from his occasional impressive display of talent, Iles lacks a fundamental discipline that exposes him to easily-missed saves that the average starting ECAC goalie is expected to make.

Coaching Iles is a challenge because his smaller stature does not allow him to take advantage of the butterfly style that we’re used to from Mike Garman ’11 and Ben Scrivens ’10. Iles has to work extra hard in order to keep up with his predecessors, but he has not demonstrated that additional effort at this point. If the defensemen and Iles continue to play at their current level, I expect another bloodbath next weekend in New Haven, Conn.

On the flip side, there were also players who demonstrated their potential for a breakout season. Junior John Esposito impressed again with a goal and an assist at key moments during the game; freshmen Joakim Ryan and John McCarron also became a part of the rage with two goals and three assists between the two of them.

“Indispensable” would be the word to describe juniors Greg Miller and Nick D’Agostino, who continued to show consistency on the ice with two assists each. Saturday’s honorable mention goes to Dustin Mowrey, who hustled and chased the puck for the entirety of the game, even though he didn’t garner any points to show for it.

Anyone who has been following my columns knows that I’m the last one to show any mercy to this hockey team, especially after an avoidable loss. However, for the first time in a long time, I believe Schafer is commandeering his Big Red fleet in the right direction if he and his staff could remedy the lapse in defense and the goaltending issues by this weekend. With the tremendous new talent and recent strategic adjustments, I’m confident that the hockey program has some of its brightest days ahead.

Unfortunately, my college career is coming to an end this May, so this will be my last season holding the cowbell. A friend recently said that I’m part of a dying breed who still travels with the team on away weekends; however, this experience has also been my greatest joy during these years at Cornell.

If you’re an underclassman who has been inspired by the Lynah tradition, I suggest attending as many home and away games as you can in the upcoming year. If you’re hesitant, remember what the late Steve Jobs said: “Live each day as if it was your last.” You’re only in college once and the chance won’t come again.