European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 b the stars and stripes tuesday february 11, 1992winter . Ices Italy with late Rush by Filip Bondy the new York times Meribel France a Twenty minutes away from losing to a country called a sunny Italy a . Olympic hockey coach Dave Peterson was certain things would turn out just Fine. And Why not when the americans headed for the locker room Down 3-2 to Italy after two periods Peterson the Man with Rose tinted eyesight told his Guys to relax and enjoy themselves. Have a third period blast. A you wont believe this a Peterson said. A but we told them a put a smile on your face. We be got 20 minutes to get one and then Well get another one. Have some  a the United states poured it on out shooting Italy 13-3, in the last period. Left Wing Tim Sweeney on loan from the unenthusiastic Calgary flames set up two goals and scored a third. On Cue Italy sagged then collapsed. Pucks kept getting knocked into the crease from the right Side where they were poked and slapped and flipped into the net. Goal tender David Delfino a Massachusetts expatriate could not hold off the americans and their 2-on-l Breaks. A we knew we  sit Back on our heels Quot Sweeney said. A the first game everybody a going to be uptight. But we showed we had a Little  at first this match appeared to be yet another group a rout. But the United states frittered away an Early 2-0 Lead on a couple of Sloppy defensive spells at the end of the first period and the Start of the second. When a Low Backhander by Giuseppe Foglietta beat american goalie Ray Leb team Usas Scott Lachance left and Shawn Mceachern isolate Italy a Frank Nigro during sundays 6-3 Victory by the . Lane at 18 45 of the second period Italy had the Lead and dreams of grandeur. The americans wary of penalties began to withdraw from their typically aggressive game. It was All the perfect formula for embarrassment until the Bottom dropped out from under the underdogs. A just when it looked like we had them on the ropes they came Back a said Italy a coach Gene Umbriaco who used 14 Canadian italians plus Delfino. A a lot of the Guys were playing before their Home fans for the first time in five or six years and maybe they got  Sweeney hit Italy a Captain Clark do Natelli alone in the Slot at 1 41 of the third period for an easy goal to tie the game and soften the pressure. Then Steve Heinze took a similar pass in front from Ted Donato for the americans fourth goal at 7 02, and then Sweeney stole a pass at the Blue line and beat Delfino for the clincher at 8 37. In mondays Early games unified team 8, Norway 1 Meribel France up Andrei Khomutov and Nikolai Borshchevski each scored two goals to Power the unified team. About the Only mistake committed by the unified team All afternoon was a failure to come out of the locker room on time for the third period resulting in a delay  6, France 4 Meribel France apr France made another olympic hockey contender sweat but lost again this time to Czechoslovakia. In the first eight games of the tournament Lith seeded France was the Only losing team to finish within two goals of the Winner. France which lost 3-2 to no. 2 Canada in saturdays tournament opener built a 2-0, first period Lead Over the sixth seeded czechs on goals by Arnaud Briand and Antoine , Norway stay on the March by Dave Carpenter Albertville France apr everything old was new again at the Winter olympics on monday. Austria continued its medal Waltz with another Silver and Bronze Norway flaunted its Cross country ski superiority with a 1-2-3 sweep and Germany held onto its Gold medal in the menus singles luge. The red White and Blue americans meanwhile needed Gold from Speed Slater Bonnie Blair Story on Page 28 and a demonstration Bronze in freestyle Ballet skiing rom Lane Spina of Reno nev., to take the sting out of a literally stumbling debut in the Albertville games. Duncan Kennedy of Lake Placid n.y., his medal Hopes in the luge dashed by a Rocky second run on sunday wound up 1.489 seconds behind in lot place monday a still the highest finish Ever by an american in the event. Teammate Wendel Suckow of Marquette mich., finished 12th Ana Robert Pipkins of Staten Island n.y., placed 22nd. The highest american finish in the menus 30-Kilometer Cross country race was 27th. In sundays pairs Short program National champions Calla Urbanski and Rocky Marval finished seventh after Marval Ted while doing a double Axel and bumped the boards. Teammates Natasha Kuchki and Todd Sand ranked third in the world tumbled to sixth after Sand made a similar slip. Urbanski a waitress from Chicago and Marval a trucking company owner from new Egypt n.j., had Only an outside shot at a medal. It disappeared when Marval stepped out of his double Axel a precisely what happened to Sand of Costa Mesa calif., paired with Kuchki of los Angeles. A it does no to matter if your twists Are Good or your lifts Are Good a said Urbanski who does no to like the Short program for that reason. A if the jump goes Down you  the americans even lost a skier due to an Accident when Down Hiller Megan Gerety of Anchorage Alaska skied through a Stop warning on a practice course monday and crashed into a norwegian coach. Geret sustained leg bruises and is not expected to recover in time to compete in the olympics a . Coach said and coach Ole Magne Walaker of the norwegian women steam broke a leg. On the other Side of the Coin Austria was exulting in seven medals  games first 24 hours a Only three fewer than it 1992 Winter olm medals through monday s events s b t Austria 2 2 3 7 Germany 2 1 1 4 Norway 1 1 1 3 unified team 1 0 1 2 Finland 0 1 1 2 United states 1 0 0 1 France 0 1 0 1 China 0 1 0 1 a Gold a Silver a Bronze to total does not induce a demonstration sports won in Calgary. World cup luge Champion Markus Prock and Markus Schmidt both of Austria finished a close second and third in the luge behind Georg Hackl who won Germany a second Gold medal of the olympics in 2 minutes 16.57 seconds. Norway a traditional Cross country powerhouse added a missing link to its proud tradition monday by winning the menus 30-Kilometer race for the first time and recording its first / medals sweep since Innsbruck in 1964. World cup Leader vegard us Vang was first in 1 22.27.8, some 46 seconds ahead of Bjorn Dahlie who collapsed in exhaustion at the finish line of the grueling course. Countryman teide Langli was third. A i skied a perfect race absolutely perfect. What a Day for Norway a Ulvang said. Bill Koch the 36-year-old american who won the Silver medal in the event in 1976, finished 42nd As he continued his comeback after a five year Layoff. A a it a great to be Back but this is Only the beginning a said Koch of Underwood Wash. Koch who a aiming for a return to his old form by the 1994 olympics in Lillehammer Norway remains the Only american Ever to earn an olympic medal in a nordic skiing event. The Best american skier monday was Luke Bodensteiner of West Bend wis., in 27th place. Up to a foot of Snow fell on the olympic Sites monday delaying the Start of the menus downhill combined for Over two hours and forcing cancellation of the women a downhill training runs. Another norwegian Jan Einar Thorsen posted the Lead ing time of 1 44.97 when the downhill combined finally was run on a shortened version of sundays downhill course at Val do Sere. But Einar never a top 15 finisher in slalom will be hard pressed to hang onto the Lead when the slalom portion is run tuesday. World cup Leader Paul acco la of Switzerland is Well positioned for Gold just .76 seconds Back in fifth position. Gianfranco Martin and Franco Colturi both of Italy and Xavier Gigan det of Switzerland Are right behind Thorsen. World champions Natalia Mish Kutsenok and Artur Dmitriev of Russia skating for the unified team Are leading going into tuesday nights free programs. Late sunday in the initial figure skating Competition of the games former soviet skaters Natalya Mishk Utynok and Artur Dmitryev led the Way after the pairs original program which counts for a third of the Overall score. The Long program will be held tuesday night to decide the Gold medal. Yelena Bechke and Denis Petrov also from the unified team finished second in the Short program and canadians Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler were third despite a fall suffered by Brasseur