U.S. to Face Sweden for Best End of Pool

They have already tested their defense, their goaltending and their nerves. Tonight, the members of the U.S. Olympic hockey team will test their limits.

First place in Pool A and a potentially easy quarterfinal game Tuesday against 11th-seeded France will be the prize when the American and Swedish teams, the tournament’s last undefeated teams, face off tonight at the Olympic Arena. A victory or tie would enable the United States (4-0) to beat out top-seeded Sweden (3-0-1) and face France (2-3), which earned the fourth Pool B playoff berth with a 4-2 victory over Norway Sunday.

Tonight’s loser must play Czechoslovakia, which upset the Unified Team this week in finishing third in Pool B, on Wednesday.

“If they can beat Sweden, it would be a major upset,” said Mike Eruzione, who was captain of the 1980 Lake Placid gold medalists and is an analyst on CBS’ hockey telecasts. “I think Sweden is outstanding. I’m wondering if Sweden has been sitting in the weeds waiting to kick this thing into gear, that they’ve been playing only as well as they’ve had to.

“The U.S. has brought its game to every level it’s had to, and now they have to raise it again. If they play Canada or the Russians, they’d have to raise it another level. That’s the one thing we always wondered in 1980, if we played another game, whether we’d have been able to improve another level. I’m sure on this team, they feel they can.”

The United States and Sweden have achieved similar results through contrasting styles. Neither has a player in the tournament’s top 15 scorers--former NHL stars Hakan Loob, Mats Naslund and Borje Salming lead Sweden with five points each, matching U.S. left wing Tim Sweeney--and both have relied on defense and goaltending. Sweden has scored 19 goals and given up eight, while the United States has scored 15 and yielded four. In their last meeting, a pre-Olympic exhibition Feb. 5 at Chamonix, France, the United States scored a 3-2 victory.

“(The Swedes) are extremely talented and play very patiently,” said U.S. Coach Dave Peterson, whose team’s Sunday practice was canceled because some of the players’ clothes weren’t transported to the Courchevel rink. “They’ve done everything but win the Olympics, most of their players, and a few have won the Stanley Cup. . . . This is important to them.”

Ray LeBlanc’s goaltending is the Americans’ chief asset. The tournament’s top goalie with a 1.00 goals-against average and 96.74 save percentage, LeBlanc has given up only one goal in his last 201 minutes 15 seconds and has played every minute in the first four games.

“They always have good goalies, so it’s not a surprise for me,” Swedish Coach Conny Evensson said. “They have a good team. They are fantastic to have the fighting spirit they have.”

The U.S. players never shy away from contact along the boards or in front of the net. The Swedes play a puck-control game, which can be precise and effective.

“I like the U.S. enthusiasm and energy, but you have to balance that against Sweden’s experience,” said New York Islander General Manager Bill Torrey, whose club drafted U.S. winger Marty McInnis and defenseman Scott Lachance. “The U.S. will make mistakes, but they can overcome those mistakes with their enthusiasm and hustle. The U.S. is willing to do anything.

“But Sweden is used to competing at this level. Look at the age factor, the NHL experience so many of them have. It’s a tough one to call.”

Eruzione believes the Americans’ enthusiasm can compensate for their shortcomings.

“Hockey is a game of emotion and in a short tournament, emotion is big,” he said. “In 1980, we had a crest of emotion that kept getting bigger and bigger. I always believe that if the puck is in the corner, the guy who’s playing with emotion is going to get it instead of the guy with talent.”

Winning those loose pucks--and the game--will take a major effort for the Americans. “We have to really take the body on them, really take it to them,” Sweeney said. “They’re more of an open-up, run-and-gun team. We’re used to playing more defensively. We have to play that way against Sweden.”