Not entirely 100% sure on this one, as I haven't tried on the NES yet because its buried somewhere in my closet still, but playing it in emulators and watching videos of level 3, it seems like the Zols move too fast towards the wall when you hit them with the wooden sword. Everything I've seen is noticably slower than in ZC, where they practically rocket towards the wall when hit. I made two videos to show it, and its easily noticable.
This is ZC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lslwZ7afstg
And this is LoZ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xZdt09rgTM
If this isn't enough, maybe someone can pull out the good old NES and check on this one.
EDIT: If this really is a bug, perhaps a quest rule would be in order? "Use Fast Zol Slide Speed" or "Correct Zol Slide Speed" Maybe?