After erupting for a combined 65 goals to punctuate its current three-game winning streak, Cornell feels it has validated the good vibes felt in Ithaca months ago.

The Big Red live again.

Toting one of the prouder traditions in college lacrosse, Cornell has been a bruised program in recent years.

Since the Big Red slid from elite into mediocrity in the 1990s — and dug out of it under then-head coaches Dave Pietramala and Jeff Tambroni — Cornell had not endured back-to-back losing seasons until 2016 and 2017.

Led by a 2018 offense that tallied 20 or more goals against Penn, Air Force and Dartmouth — the first time it has hit 20 in three straight outings in its 125-year history — Cornell (6-3, 2-1 Ivy League) looks like a force to be reckoned with. The Big Red are ranked No. 13 in the latest Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.

And, as interim head coach Peter Milliman says, the ways in which Cornell has risen to become the second-highest scoring team in the nation (15.33 goals per game) and the top shooting team in the game (42.3 percent) might surprise you.

Cornell certainly is scoring in bunches, but not by playing the up-tempo game that has marked its offensive identity in the 21st century. The Big Red, who face Harvard on Saturday with a chance to move into second place behind Yale in the Ivy standings, is pounding opposing defenses with excellent ball movement, screening, cutting and feeding.

It’s the six-on-six offensive production that most impresses Milliman. Cornell’s NCAA-best 10.33 assists per game is the number that best defines the Big Red now.

“I’ve been part of teams here that were transition teams, using lots of 10-man rides and looking for fast breaks all the time,” said Milliman, previously a four-year assistant in Ithaca under Ben DeLuca and Matt Kerwick, who was let go last year after his fourth season wrapped with a 5-8 finish.

“We still want to take advantage of those [transition] opportunities, but we are not trying to push the tempo as much,” Milliman said. “If there isn’t a clear fast break, we feel we’re going to get good looks [at the cage] in our six-on-six.

“We want to let the offense work, make the defense defend us, move the ball on the perimeter, reduce turnovers, maximize every possession. We figured our offensive identity had to be based on discipline, patience and unselfishness.”

Of course, the offense needs the right weapons to make any system work, and the Big Red are replete with them.

Sophomore attackman Jeff Teat, the Ontario product of the Hill Academy and Team Canada U19 member who was the second-highest scoring freshman in Division I last year with a Cornell rookie-record 72 points, already has amassed 53 points, including 25 goals on 58.1-percent shooting.

Fellow Hill Academy graduate and junior attackman Clarke Petterson (23 goals, 50 percent) and senior midfielder and team captain Jordan Dowiak (21 goals, 45.7 percent) are off to excellent starts as well. Jake McCulloch and Connor Fletcher round out the first midfield group with a combined 41 points. Jonathan Donville leads the second midfield with 18 points, including 10 assists.

Sophomore faceoff specialist Paul Rasimowicz (53.8 percent) leads a unit that has upped its game in recent weeks. The Big Red also limit their turnovers to 11 per game.

“We weren’t on the same page a lot last year. We still came out of it as a confident group,” said Teat, one of nine returning starters this year. “We know what we’re capable of, but we can’t be itching to score 20 goals. We don’t want to force things.”

“What’s best about this offense is nobody cares [who scores],” Dowiak added. “The last two seasons obviously didn’t go according to the plan. Winning is great. We knew what we had in the locker room at the end of last year. It’s nice to get some recognition, but there is so much for us to do.”

Cornell started by splitting its first six games. The Big Red lost the season opener to Colgate 14-11, dropped their third contest at top-ranked Albany 11-9 and slipped to 3-3 after a 13-11 defeat against Yale, which sits atop the Ivy.

Then came the barrage, albeit against competition that arguably pales in comparison to the likes of Albany and Yale.

With Teat leading the way with six goals on March 24, Cornell blew open the contest at Penn with 12 second-half scores in a 20-13 rout over the Quakers, a top-20 squad that has upset Duke. The Big Red put 30 shots on goal and canned two-thirds of them.

Three nights later, Cornell crushed Air Force 23-5, as four players produced hat tricks and a dozen scored goals. The Big Red hung eight goals on the board in the first and third quarters and missed on just seven shots on goal.

On Saturday, Cornell blasted Ivy opponent Dartmouth 22-11, taking a 15-2 lead at halftime. Dowiak (five goals) and Fletcher (four) led a parade of nine goal-scorers that did not include Teat, who led the Big Red with four assists.

“It’s really important how disciplined our guys have stayed [during the winning streak],” Milliman said. “The Dartmouth game showed it. We’re up 7-1 at the end of the first quarter, and the offense never deteriorated into guys just trying to score goals [for themselves].

“Let’s face it. We haven’t had a winning team in a few years, and we haven’t accomplished that much yet this year,” he added. “We have a lot of guys who aren’t familiar or comfortable with this position [as Ivy contender]. We’re keeping the humble approach, just focusing on what we have to do today.”

Milliman, a 2002 graduate of Gettysburg, is relying on some recent Big Red talent — 2015 graduates and assistant coaches Jordan Stevens and Connor Buczek — to help Cornell navigate the increased pressure as the schedule ramps up.

Syracuse comes to Ithaca on Tuesday. Four days later, the Big Red hits the road to face Lehigh, currently tied for first place in the Patriot League, before Cornell finishes the regular season against conference foes Brown and Princeton.

Stevens, 25 and Cornell’s defensive coordinator, is a former two-time first-team All-Ivy defender and four-year starter in Ithaca. He plays professionally for MLL’s Rochester Rattlers.

Buczek, also 25, spent two years in Ithaca as a volunteer assistant and serves as the Big Red’s assistant offensive coordinator. He was a three-time All-American who graduated as the top scoring midfielder in Cornell history and was selected second overall in the MLL draft. He plays for the Florida Launch.