VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A. J. Mleczko looked out from the windows of a hotel lounge toward a view of water and boats much like the one at home.

That

Hear from A.J.

Team USA forward A.J.Mleczko on playing with pressure. .

home life sounds almost idyllic. Her parents, Tom and Bambi, live in Nantucket, Mass., not too far from Mleczko's home school, Harvard. Her father, a former biology teacher in Connecticut, went to Nantucket to turn a summer love into a full-time deal. He runs a charter fishing boat.

As for Bambi? (Yes, Bambi). She runs a boutique on the island and is the force behind a movement to build an ice rink there.

"I work for my father on his boat. It's called Striker. I guess you could say I like to strike opponents. Of course, that depends on what you're talking about," Mleczko said.

She isn't talking about fights. She is talking about goals. For all its proficiency, the U.S. women's hockey team has not found a way to convert scoring opportunities. The team will compete with Canada for a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Nagano and the difference between winning and losing will be whether Mleczko and the rest of the U.S. forwards can find a scoring formula.

No one expects Mleczko or any one player to be individually responsible for putting the puck in the net.

"Nope, that's one of the things I really like about this team. I think we've got a blend of balance," said head coach Coach Ben Smith (Gloucester, Mass.). "I don't think there's anyone we need to look for to do anything out of the ordinary."

At Harvard, though, Mleczko has been accustomed to being the go-to woman. With a year of eligibility left and two years of study looming until she earns a degree in American history, she already is established as the Crimson's all-time goals (91) and scoring (143 points) leader.

She'd like to be that kind of force for the Americans.

"I do put some pressure on myself, like, 'I need to finish that shot,' or, 'Oh, I need to get that shot off quicker.' As a team I think we've gotten better at (finishing goals)," Mleczko said. "Most of our goals come from forechecks or systems that work... In my mind, I'd like to see myself finish plays more. But I don't feel the pressure from coach (Smith)."

SHE PLANS TO GO BACK to Harvard for more. There will be no Olympics "big-timing" from Mleczko, no looking down on the relatively small pond of Ivy League hockey after this exhilarating two-year tour with the U.S. national team.

For much of the time with the American squad, in fact, she has gone out of her way to maintain her NCAA eligibility. Mleczko wanted no part of per diem or lodging money that would threaten her college eligibility.

"We have to be careful with the stipends from USA Hockey," she said. "I literally had my clothes and hockey equipment in my car for a while. Before Sept. 1, when I could take housing, it was a very nomadic experience.

"But I think it will be worth it. After all I've given to hockey, I can't imagine a full season where I'm just cheering (Harvard) on."

When she returns to the campus in Cambridge, much will have changed. She will be two years behind.

"It's going to be very different. There's going to be one class, the seniors, who will still be there that I had played with when they were freshmen," Mleczko said.

That's just a small price, though, for what continues to be a terrific hockey experience. In Vancouver, the U.S. and Canada played before an announced crowd of 14,944 fans at GM Place when Canada won an exhibition on Jan. 16, 2-1. That was before a 4-3 American win in San Jose, Calif., for which 7,784 paid to watch. It was believed to be the largest crowd to see a women's hockey game in the United States.

MLECZKO KNOWS SHE IS CENTRAL to a burgeoning movement. Just as the U.S. women's softball and soccer teams captured the country's imagination at the Atlanta Games, the hockey team has a similar opportunity.

"We're in a wonderful position now," she said. "The Atlanta Games set up a great scenario for us. I think this is just the true nature of amateur sports. When I first started playing hockey, the Olympics wasn't an opportunity for us. Hockey wasn't included. By 1990, I was in ninth grade and that's when there was the first women's world championships. Right then, that's when I knew what I wanted to do."

She wouldn't mind taking in some of the other Olympic competition. But she can't really give in to the temptation.

"That's what's really hard, balancing this incredible experience with what you're they're to do. You don't want to say, 'Oh, I got to do all these things at the Olympics -- but I played the worst hockey game of my life,' "Mleczko said. "With such a tangible goal in front of you it's really easy to push yourself."