B.C. players surge onto Canadian women's hockey team after drought

Women's hockey in British Columbia is having a long-awaited moment.

Three players from the province on Canada's world championship roster is the most ever. It was initially four until Hannah Miller ran afoul of international transfer rules.

"It's been a long time coming to get a few more players on this team," said defender Micah Zandee-Hart of Saanichton, B.C.

Jennifer Gardiner of Surrey, Chloe Primerano and Miller of North Vancouver and Zandee-Hart represented a veritable B.C. explosion when Canada's 25 players were announced in March.

There wasn't a B.C. player on the women's team for almost two decades after goaltender Danielle Dube in the 1997 world championship.

The province hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2014 Four Nations and the 2016 world championship without a homegrown player in those tournaments.

Two games into this year's world championship, Gardiner has two goals and an assist, Zandee-Hart scored her first international goal and 18-year-old Primerano became the third-youngest player to suit up for Canada after Hayley Wickenheiser (15) and Cheryl Pounder (17) in 1994.

"I'm sure those three girls are going to have an incredible showing at worlds," Miller predicted.

She was found to be ineligible because she was under a pro contract to a Chinese club less than two years ago, which ran against International Ice Hockey Federation transfer rules.

Canadian team general manager Gina Kingsbury has indicated Miller remains in the pool of players under consideration for the 2026 Olympic team.

Canada (2-0) faces the United States (2-0) in Pool A on Sunday before finishing the preliminary round Monday against host Czechia (1-1).

Zandee-Hart and sisters Sarah and Amy Potomak of Aldergrove were B.C.'s wedge into the