Ice hockey-USA Hockey give women deadline to decide on world champs

March 16 (Reuters) - USA Hockey has given the U.S. women's national team a deadline of 5 pm ET (2100 GMT) on Thursday to decide whether they will play in the world championships after threatening to boycott the competition over a wage dispute.

The deadline comes a day after the defending world champions, citing a lack of progress in year-long negotiations, said they will boycott the tournament unless their demands for higher wages are met by USA Hockey.

"We have asked the players that were previously announced as the 2017 U.S. Women's national team individually to respond by 5 pm ET today as to their intention to play for Team USA in the upcoming IIHF women's world championship," USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer told Reuters in an email.

"As has been noted, a team representing our country will play in the upcoming women's world championship and our desire is that team includes those 23 players previously announced."

USA Hockey denied suggestions that it has a Plan B in place and said reports they have contacted other players about playing in the March 31 tournament are, "completely inaccurate."

Current national team members, however, feel otherwise.

"We have heard that USA Hockey is attempting to field an alternative team to play in the world championship games," the players said in a statement. "We regret that they have not instead chosen to reconsider their treatment of the current world championship-winning team.

"We stand by our original position: that it is time USA Hockey supported its programs for women and girls at the level it provides to boys and men."

The world championships begin March 31 in Michigan.

Players are under contract to USA Hockey only during years when the Winter Games are held and are seeking a deal that would compensate them during non-Olympic years.

USA Hockey maintains that its role is to support players as they prepare for competitions not to employ them.

USA Hockey said the support they will provide ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics includes a six-month training camp, stipends and incentives for medals that could result in each player receiving nearly $85,000.

Members of the national team dispute those figures claiming USA Hockey has coupled their contributions with payments made by the U.S. Olympic Committee, which pays gold medal-winning athletes more than $60,000. (Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)