"Do you believe in miracles?...The Impossible Dream has come true!"

Since ABC's Al Michaels shouted those words to a national television audience eight years ago from Lake Placid, legions of American hockey-playing youths have striven to emulate their heroes, members of the goldmedal winning 1980 USA Olympic team.

Only 26 of the nation's best players will wear the red, white and blue for their country this year in Calgary, but three of those "best and fleetest" used to skate in the red and white of the Harvard Crimson. Scott Fusco '86 is making a return appearance with the Olympians, while seniors Lane MacDonald and Allen Bourbeau are taking the year off to ply their trade on a slightly higher level.

Those Harvard stars of years gone by are coming back to haunt their former (and future, in the cases of MacDonald and Bourbeau) teammates Sunday night, and if past experience is any indication, a long evening is in store for the home-towners.

Head Coach Dave Peterson's Team USA squad has just completed a seven-game sweep of the Hockey East Conference, destroying the collegians by an average score of 9-3.

Those contests served as breathers for the young Olympians, who had already taken on the likes of the New York Rangers, Calgary Flames and the NHL All-Star Canada Cup Team.

In 26 games, Team USA has posted a 14-10-2 mark, with two of those victories coming at the expense of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.

The Olympians are loaded with future professional stars such as Boston College's Craig Janney and Brian Leetch (a 19 year old who many consider the best amateur player in the nation), Minnesota's Corey Millen (the other 1984 Olympic alum), Wisconsin's Tony Granato and Michigan State's Kevin Miller.

A co-scoring leader of this illustrious group, however, is Cambridge's favorite son Lane MacDonald, with 25 points in 22 games. Fusco is sixth on the team's scoring chart, while Bourbeau is seventh.

Other top performers whom you will hear more about in February include Boston University snipers Scott Young and Clark Donatelli, Michigan's Brad Jones and Wisconsin goalie Mike Richter.

This batch of Olympians has perhaps more international experince than any of its predecessors. Coach Peterson and General Manager Art Berglund have paired up to lead the U.S. entrants in the past three World Tournaments, and 20 of the Team USA players have skated under Peterson in the past. As Berglund says, "This is a team that won't be awed by the Soviets or the Czechs or the Canadians."

Not only are there many future pro stars on the team, but among the team's ranks are five players--including Fusco, who played for a season in Switzerland--who have already skated for pay. Reflecting the international trend towards the elimination of an "amateur" distinction, any skater may now participate in the Olympics.

Bourbeau's linemate Steve Leach has played for the Washington Capitals, Pete Laviolette is on loan from the Rangers' organization, and former Providence star netminder Chris Terrari has elected to take a year off from the New Jersey Devils. Jim Johannson played professionally in Germany.

The inclusion of non-amateurs hasn't turned the Olympics into a Wayne Gretzky festival yet, as the NHL teams are reluctant to let their stars take a year off to go frolic with the Russians. Thus some of the top young talents in North America, such as Joe Nieuwendyk and Tony Hrkac, both Canadians, missed out on the Olympics by joining pro squads last March.

The absence of a professional circuit in Communist countries means that the best players in the nation compete in the Olympics, a luxury not available to the Americans and Canadians. Thus it was truly remarkable in 1980 when a bunch of rag-tag collegians thumped the Russian National Team, which routinely beat the NHL All-Stars.