LILLEHAMMER / ’94 WINTER OLYMPICS : U.S. Could Be Bump in Road for Finland : Hockey: Americans hope to use aggressive checking to knock undefeated Finns off track in tonight’s quarterfinal game.

The team that never believed it could win and the team that couldn’t win until it had to will meet today in the quarterfinals of the Olympic hockey tournament that looks more like a mismatch than a matchup.

Finland, known for producing teams with world-class skills and fragile psyches, began to shed that reputation here with a 5-0 round-robin record and a defense that gave up only four goals. A victory today would remove that label.

“So far, we have played the best hockey, but in a game like the quarterfinals, you also need luck,” Coach Curt Lindstrom said. “You can’t say we will win, but like every other team, we have also the possibility to take the gold. It is very open.”

To Brian Rolston and his U.S. teammates, who faced an early trip home until they beat Italy on Monday, it’s American ingenuity and grit against a team that’s skillful but squeamish about being hit. The United States routed Finland in December, 6-2, but Finland has since changed much of its personnel.

“We’ve got to pressure their defense and make them cough up the puck, keep the puck low (in the offensive zone) and bang their defensemen,” Rolston said. “We have to throw everything at the net and crash the net, just like a North American hockey game. We’ve got to finish our checks. Against Sweden (in a near-comeback on Saturday), in the third period we were playing a North American style, finishing our checks, and they were backing down.

“We know how to do it and I think we’ll get it done. If we don’t win, we don’t go on. We’ve played against that sort of pressure all year, and we’ve played good under pressure.”

The winner will play the winner of today’s quarterfinal game between Canada (3-1-1) and the Czech Republic (3-2-0). In other quarterfinal matchups, Group B winner Slovakia (3-0-2), seeded 12th, will try to keep its upset streak alive against top-seeded Russia (3-2-0) and Germany (3-2-0) faces Sweden (3-1-1).

In the preliminary round, Finland held opponents to an average of 12.4 shots on goal and fewer than one goal. Lindstrom alternated goaltenders Jarmo Myllys--the former Minnesota North Star and San Jose Shark--and Jukka Tammi. He wouldn’t reveal today’s starter, but it is Tammi’s turn if the rotation holds.

The goalies’ job has been made easier by a new defensive system that emphasizes constant motion, puck control and persistent forechecking in the neutral zone. Lindstrom’s biggest contribution, though, is how he has strengthened his players’ self-assurance.

“He’s talking a lot to us and trying to get our confidence up,” winger Mikko Makela said. “He’s always saying, ‘You’re good! You’re good!’ For Finns, it’s important to hear that all the time because otherwise we get down.”

When their spirits went down, their bodies often followed if they were hit. Not anymore.

“I don’t think the USA can do that to us,” said center Raimo Helminen, Makela’s linemate.

Said Lindstrom, who is in his second year as coach, “They didn’t have the self-confidence. They were always afraid to meet Russia, Sweden, Canada. Now this year, we have beaten those teams, but not the USA team. We have beaten Sweden, Czechoslovakia (the Czech Republic) and Russia and we have more confidence.”

That has been apparent to U.S. Coach Tim Taylor.

“They’re a very complete team and they play a very effective style,” said Taylor, whose team was an inconsistent 1-1-3 in group play. “So far in this tournament, they’ve made the fewest mistakes and played the best defense. You’ve got to give Finland an awful lot of credit. They’ve always taken a back seat to a lot of other nations in terms of hockey prowess, like Sweden, Russia, Czechoslovakia. Their coach has done a marvelous job.”

Finland’s offense was as formidable as its defense, averaging five goals. Helminen, with six points, and Makela, with five, are among the top scorers, and the line of Ville Peltonen, Saku Koivu and Jere Lehtinen has been dazzling with its quickness and puck handling.

“They don’t take long shots,” said goalie Garth Snow, today’s probable U.S. starter. “A goalie might only see 15 shots, but eight of them might be great shots from the slot. You have to be mentally prepared and try to keep the goals against to a minimum.”

Each coach saw a potential weakness in the other’s team. Lindstrom said the Americans are mistake-prone while when forechecking but added, “The American players are very good and have a very good fighting spirit.”

Said Taylor: “It’s really going to come down to emotional strength. . . . We’ve got a lot of emotion going for us. We’re not going into this thing fearing the outcome. We’re going into it looking forward to the challenge.”