Myers had passed up the opportunity to work an extra shift at Tatte, the bakery where she works full time. Like Myers, most of the C.W.H.L.’s approximately 125 active players have other jobs — as police officers, teachers, or in the local district attorney’s office — because they do not earn league salaries.

In its eighth season, the C.W.H.L. continues to face challenges as the home for women’s professional hockey in North America. The five-team league, which also has franchises in Calgary, Montreal and Toronto, has grown incrementally. The Blades, the only team in the United States, now fly to all away games, except those in Montreal. Their players also receive money for meals, usually for one a day.

Stars like Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker, who a year ago played in the classic Olympic final against Canada, earn training stipends as members of the United States national team, have sponsorships and do not need part-time jobs to supplement their income. But most of their teammates have to buy their own sticks and skates. After games, all the players wash their own gear at home.

The players are cognizant of the locker room dichotomy. Knight said she tried to help supply a teammate if a stick broke. Decker said she respected the extra effort of her less heralded cohorts, like Jillian Dempsey, who wakes up at 5:15 a.m. to prepare for her job as a second-grade teacher.

“I give them more credit than myself,” Decker said.

Knight turned down professional opportunities in Canada and Sweden, including one offer from a men’s league, to play for free in the C.W.H.L. European leagues offer salaries but have lesser competition, and many players for the United States national team also choose the Blades because of their proximity to the Woburn, Mass., training facility of the national team’s strength and conditioning coach, Mike Boyle.