The U.S. women’s national hockey team and its lawyers yesterday "met for 10 hours" with USA Hockey in Philadelphia, "working to reach an agreement for increased wages and support" in wake of the players possibly boycotting the IIHF World Championships, according to Seth Berkman of the N.Y. TIMES. U.S. Fs Hilary Knight and Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson "called the meetings 'productive' and said the team was hopeful that a deal could be reached quickly enough for the players to prepare for the world championship, which begins March 31 in Plymouth, Mich." Lamoureux-Davidson: "A lot of progress was made today.” Lamoureux-Davidson was "joined by seven teammates in Philadelphia for the meeting, with an additional 10 players participating remotely." Berkman notes in addition to upgrades that would assist with living wages, the players are "seeking more investment in girls’ hockey programs and development efforts" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/21). U.S. F Meghan Duggan said it was a "long day of productive discussions." ESPNW's Johnette Howard noted negotiations "broke off for the night around" 7:45pm ET. U.S. F Monique Lamoureux-Morando, when asked what accounted for the shift in tone, said, "Us really digging in and standing up for ourselves last Wednesday. Sometimes it takes drastic measures or drastic actions to be heard." USA Hockey's reps yesterday included Exec Dir Dave Ogrean, President Jim Smith, Treasurer Donna Guariglia and Dir of Women's Hockey Reagan Carey. Attorneys for both sides also were present (ESPNW.com, 3/20).
