ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior Braden Birch has been named one of three finalists for the ECAC Hockey Men's Best Defensive Defenseman Award, the league announced Wednesday.
 
Birch has been one of the Big Red's most reliable defenseman this season. He has registered a plus-11 rating during the regular season, which ranked tied for second on the squad among blueliners, despite frequently being matched up against the opposition's top forward combinations. In 19 league games, Birch was on the ice for just three of the 29 even-strength goals surrendered by Cornell. The Chicago Blackhawks' sixth-round draft pick from 2008 is also a pivotal penalty-killer for the Big Red.
 
The other two finalists for the award are also juniors — Harvard's Danny Biega and Princeton's Michael Sdao. The Big Red last won the award in 2010, when it was given to then-senior Justin Krueger. This year's winner, as well as the winners of the rest of the league's postseason awards, will be announced Thursday, March 15 at the league's annual banquet on the eve of championship weekend.