Morale Of The U.S
Before the olympic games the morale was powerless and couldn't beat the soviets in any arena. Only thing they could do is boycott the olympics basically just sat down on the sidelines and watched the soviets run over everything which was a catastrophe.
The American team, on the other hand, was made up almost entirely of college players. Coach Herb Brooks, the last cut of the 1960 American team that won gold, drove the team hard in the six-month preparation for the Games. However, the difference between the United States and Soviet teams was made clear in an exhibition game just days before the Olympics when the Soviets won a 10-3 rout at Madison Square Garden.
(http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/feb-22-1980-u-s-a-beats-soviet-union-in-miracle-on-ice/)
The American team, on the other hand, was made up almost entirely of college players. Coach Herb Brooks, the last cut of the 1960 American team that won gold, drove the team hard in the six-month preparation for the Games. However, the difference between the United States and Soviet teams was made clear in an exhibition game just days before the Olympics when the Soviets won a 10-3 rout at Madison Square Garden.
(http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/feb-22-1980-u-s-a-beats-soviet-union-in-miracle-on-ice/)