Interesting point. By 1980 college hockey had come to resemble the Soviet style game. A sort of soccer match on ice with lots of passing. The NHL then was a bit like today’s NBA, flashy individual runs and long slap shots (slam dunks), interspersed with the requisite brawls. The 1980 US team of college players beat the Russians with their own tactics.
“The 1980 US team of college players beat the Russians with their own tactics.”
The Russians outshot the US by an absurd amount. The US played conservative defensively and limited the open ice Russian break out rushes up the ice.
The 2-1-2 Russian forechecking forced the US to the dump the puck strategy. The Russians still ended up with a huge shot lead over the US. So, it wasn’t a Russian style, it was conservative attack, limiting the Russian break outs. The US simply hit some of the few shots they took.