From Underpaid to On Top of the World: How the USWNT Took on USA Hockey and the World. And Won.

Image courtesy of the International Ice Hockey Federation

Last Friday, the US Women's National Hockey Team won their fourth consecutive World Championship title for the first time on home ice here in Michigan, an absolutely incredible feat.

But the most incredible part wasn't their 3-2 overtime thriller against Canada in the gold medal game or Hilary Knight's bardown game winning goal, it was the fight it took for them to get there.

On March 15th, the team announced via social media that due to a statement in their negotiations for equal treatment and pay with USA Hockey for the past 15 months, that they would be boycotting the tournament that was being held in less than a month.

After a rather insulting response to the team's statement and a continued stalement in negotiations, USA Hockey began trying to come up with a replacement team. They were soon given a rude awakening as everyone from NCAA D1 players to U19 Tier 1 girls all told them that they were standing with the USWNT and wouldn't be on a team of scabs.

And it appeared that the USWNT would not be competing in the tournament to defend their title until that Tuesday, when USA Hockey finally reached out once again with an acceptable offer that offered the girls of the USWNT a living wage and a four year contract.

Along the way, the women of Team USA fought harder than they ever had before.

But it wasn't just about a living wage, it was about the future. It was about USA Hockey spending money on developing the girls of the game at the grassroots level. It was about making sure no girls had to quit because of a lack of opportunity. It was about making sure the future generation of the USWNT never had to work two jobs in order to be able to afford being an elite athlete and wear the USA sweater.

The team had one official practice on Thursday, right before their match up versus Canada at 7pm on Friday.

I was there at the first and only practice with my THANK YOU sign in hand, sitting behind the bench.

I stood at the tunnel as the players got off of the ice, tapping their sticks on the glass at my sign and saying thank you, Hilary Knight even gave me a puck. They knew that the hockey community had their backs and that they supported their fight.

And they knew that as one fight ended, another began as they took on the world.

They shut out Canada in front of a sold out crowd at USA Hockey Arena, beating the Canadians 2-0 on home soil.

The next day they shutout Russia 7-0 and stuck around afterwards to sign autographs for a crowd of fans that wrapped halfway around the arena.

Finland, their final pool play game, put up a little more a of a fight, snapping the US shutout streak as the Americans shut down the Finns 5-3 to stay perfect in pool play.

Germany would be their semifinal opponent and caused them nearly no trouble as the US steamrolled the Germans 11-0. It may have been a blowout by the second period, but you can bet that USA Hockey Arena was rocking as Farmington Hills native Megan Keller scored her first of the tournament in front of her friends and family.

As fate would have it, the Americans would face Team Canada for all the marbles once again last Friday night.

It was a barn burner in front of a sold out crowd. The box office stopped selling standing room tickets, the arena was that packed full of supporters for both sides. Canada came out and score in the first two minutes but the US would rally back to tie the game. The US would go up 2-1 in the third, but not before Canada would tie things up before the final buzzer.

It was overtime for the second consecutive year between the two powerhouse countries. After close calls for both teams, Hilary Knight would catch a pass from Kendall Coyne and send a shot over Shannon Szabados' shoulder to end the game and give the US their first gold medal victory on home ice.

The gold medal wasn't the only victory for the USWNT, in less than a month, the USWNT went from underpaid and underappreciated by their governing body to a team full of athletes with four year contracts and another World Championship gold medal around their necks as they went back to their homes across the country.

And little girls all around the country will thank them now and for the rest of their careers as they dream of winning gold just like the USWNT did in Plymouth.