USA Hockey, women avoid boycott

USA Hockey and the women's national team reached a wage agreement Tuesday night to avoid a boycott of the world championships.

Players and USA Hockey announced the deal in a joint statement just three days before the tournament begins in Plymouth, Michigan.

It's a four-year agreement that pays players outside of the sixmonth Olympic period.

Star forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said by phone Tuesday night that getting a deal done “feels like a weight off our shoulders.”

Captain Meghan Duggan said players “stood up for what we thought was right and USA Hockey's leadership listened.”

USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said by phone that he's “relieved” to get a deal done.

After more than a year of negotiations over wages and equitable support, players announced March 15 that they'd boycott the International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship on home ice if significant progress wasn't made toward an agreement. The sides met for 10-plus hours in person last week and continued conversations before striking a deal Tuesday.