ICE HOCKEY: Decades of rivalry looks set to continue, with Russia and the USA meeting in a preliminary round Ice Hockey match at Bolshoi Ice Dome on Day 8 of the Olympics.

The competition between the two teams will be fierce, with their rivalry harking back to the days of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics with the so called ‘Miracle on Ice’ victory.

Led by Coach Herb Brooks, the USA team, made up of amateur and College players, defeated the Soviet Union national team 4-3.

The Soviet’s had won the gold medal in six of the seven previous Olympics and seemed to have the upper hand, until two goals by USA in the third and final period.

Nearly 34 years after that famous match, ‘Miracle on Ice’ still resonates with fans and players.

One of the Soviet defenders from the 1980 match, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, is now the coach of Team Russia and goalie Vladislav Tretiak, famously benched in that game, is now the Russian Team’s President.

One current player also has strong ties to the victory. Ryan Suter, whose father Bob Suter was part of the gold medal winning team in 1980, will take to the ice for the USA. 

And while Suter has a clear link to the rivalry’s past, he’s only thinking about the present.  

“I think we're all focused on just going out and worrying about ourselves, not worrying about what's happened in the past," he said. 

"It's a big game. They've got a great team, and we're looking forward to it.”

Heading into Saturday’s game, USA and Russia have both had wins in their opening matches.

After a slow first two periods, the host nation powered home to win 5-2  over Olympic debutants Slovenia. The US had a spectacular start to their Games campaign with a 7-1 win against Slovakia.

USA forward David Backes said there will definitely be some feeling between the sides.

"There will be some good emotions, there's some great history. But it's a game that's a preliminary game,” he said.

The 29-year-old Captain of the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL), said he would use the same tactics as he does in his home competition against Russia’s top two lines.

"We need to play our sort of North American, grinding style where we're getting pucks in and forechecking, making the ice hard to have out there. If they have to earn everything they get out there tomorrow, it was a good job by us,” he said.

"I do it on a regular basis in the NHL. Make every inch of ice tough for them to get, lean on them, make sure they're not out there free-wheeling, because their level of skill is like none other and they'll pick you apart if you give them too much respect or too much ice to make plays on. 

"Get in their face, make sure they're having a tough time finding that open ice. And try to have the pucks on our sticks in their end as much as possible. It's a good way to keep them off the scoreboard."