ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior forward Nick D'Agostino, junior goaltender Andy Iles and senior forward Greg Miller of the Cornell men's hockey team are among the 77 players nominated for the 2013 Hobey Baker Award, which is issued annually to men's college hockey's top player. Fan voting opened this week at www.hobeybakeraward.com.
 
D'Agostino, one of the team's tri-captains, leads the team's defensemen and is third overall in scoring with two goals and eight assists for 10 points through 15 games. He also ranks second on the team with a plus-5 rating, logging significant ice time in all situations as a key member of the power play and penalty killing units. He has five points over his last four games, including three assists in an 11-minute span on Dec. 29 in the Big Red's game against Maine in the Florida College Hockey Classic championship game. He is a draft pick of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, and the only member of the Big Red to wear a letter for multiple seasons. He is also the team's nominee for the Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the Division I senior who excels in community, classroom, character and competition.
 
Iles is the backbone of the Big Red's vaunted defense, having started 51 consecutive games in goal dating back to the final game of his freshman season. He has already twice been named the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week this season — Oct. 30, after a pair of victories and a shutout against Colorado College, and Nov. 27 after the Big Red's dramatic 5-1 victory over Michigan in The Frozen Apple in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York. He also owns the second-longest shutout streak in program history, spanning 213 minutes, 35 seconds over a five-game span in October and November 2011.
 
Miller continues to be the team's most potent offensive threat, leading the team in scoring with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points and a team-best through 15 games. After leading the team in scoring each of the last two seasons, Miller is trying to become the first Big Red player to lead the squad in offensive production three times since NHLer Matt Moulson did so in 2006. His value goes beyond just offense, as he leads the team in rating (plus-8) and is the team's leader in faceoff efficiency (57.1 percent). He was named one of three finalists for the 2012 ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward Award.
 
The trio represents the same contingent of Big Red players nominated for the award in 2012. To participate in the fan voting phase of the Hobey Baker Award process, visit www.hobeybakeraward.com. The first phase of fan voting concludes March 10, then the Top Ten list of candidates will be released March 21. The fans' vote accounts for a full 1 percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year's award recipient.
 
Award criteria include candidates emulating the exceptional character traits exhibited by the award's namesake, Hobey Baker, a World War I flying star better known as America's greatest amateur athlete in his day. Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
 
The 2013 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 12, 2013 during the NCAA Frozen Four Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa.  The 33^rd annual award announcement honoring college hockey's top player will be televised live.  For more info on the Hobey Baker Award, visit hobeybakeraward.com.