THE OLYMPICS / WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : To the End, a Bark as Big as Their Bite

Unified they stood, United we fell.

Lake Placid it wasn’t--and placid is the last word anybody ever applied to this boisterous U.S. Olympic hockey squad.

But oh, what a bang-up job it was by goaltender Ray LeBlanc and the rest of Coach Dave Peterson’s pit bulls on ice, who for 50 minutes of a 60-minute game gave the once-upon-a-time Soviet Union fits here Friday before losing, 5-2.

They snapped at the heels of the so-called “Unified” team throughout the skirmish, then snapped at the referee when the skirmish was over.

But that’s what underdogs usually do--snap.

What the Americans did in this tournament was not what anyone would call pretty, but in its own way it was beautiful. Say what you will about the way they play hockey; the fact is, Peterson’s people played the only way they knew how to play--to win.

And anybody who regrets that this one was no “miracle” like that one 12 years ago at Lake Placid must be made to realize how miraculous it was for these Americans to come as far as they did, or to stick as close to these former Soviets for as long as they did.

Bad attitude, good team.

Or, to quote an observation made by Igor Dmitriev, an assistant coach for the winners, after the game:

“This United States team is, in my opinion, quite unpredictable.”

That it is, Igor.

On the positive side, the Americans could be proud of themselves for the exemplary effort they made--particularly LeBlanc, who probably enhanced his reputation and financial outlook as much as any U.S. athlete in these Winter Olympics.

Paul Wylie, the silver-medalist figure skater, appointed himself head cheerleader for his hockey brethren Friday and organized chants from the crowd that went:

“Holy moly, what a goalie!”

The Unified Team assaulted and peppered LeBlanc, outshooting the Americans by a staggering 55-18.

But LeBlanc went after that puck like a puppy after a Frisbee.

Not until the last 10 minutes, when penalties left his side short-handed three different times, did the gold get away from the goalie.

He came to personify the combative quality and literal fighting spirit that so many backers back home found so appealing. His energetic goaltending aside, LeBlanc could be as hyperactive and hard-nosed as anybody, once pole-axing the calves of a French opponent with his stick while the player’s back was turned.

LeBlanc was so agitated when a shot finally squirted past him Friday, he took his stick and flicked the water bottle that he kept atop the cage, sending it flying.

Yet his anger was negligible contrasted with that of team captain Clark Donatelli and others, behavior that underscored the “unpredictable” nature of the Americans.

While some rink-siders will forever admire these players for their tenacity, there are others who will remember them as brawlers and bawlers.

None of the daytime programming preempted Friday by CBS possibly could have featured a character half as emotional or overwrought as Donatelli.

None of the cursing or taunting Donatelli did during two weeks of Olympic play--and he was hardly alone--remotely approached the tirade he launched Friday, first finger-pointing and tongue-lashing a Swedish referee, then later railing to reporters that his team had just been robbed.

That’s the way this team went through the entire tournament: rude, loud, swaggering and stubborn.

This general demeanor throughout the tournament was what led to Friday’s semifinal game being billed in advance by a USA Today writer as: “The Russians vs. the Ruffians.”

An unpredictable team for unpredictable times, the Americans--so adored in 1980--had, for some, swapped hero-villain roles with the Unified ones. Yet to loyal fans in the stands, including one in an “Uncle Sam” get-up who claimed to have legally changed his name to just that, Team USA was still utterly adorable.

Yet, as the Americans kept saying, they didn’t come here to make friends.

They played the best defense of anybody in the tournament. They got enough offense from the likes of Marty McInnis, Ted Donato and Tim Sweeney to keep opponents nervous. They did a swell job of killing penalties--partly because there was so much opportunity to do so. And LeBlanc was their ace in the hole, their last line of defense.

They played hard. Played inspired. Played united.

Played to win.

And, to their everlasting credit, almost did.