Haley Irwin has joined some pretty select company.

The junior forward from Thunder Bay, Ontario has been selected one of the 10 finalist for the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Memorial presented by Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.  The award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey, will be presented at a brunch ceremony on March 19 at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, Pa., in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Frozen Four (March 18 & 20). 

Irwin becomes the 13th University of Minnesota Duluth top-10 selection in Bulldog program history.

Three other Western Collegiate Hockey Association players were selected in the top-10, including Meghan Duggan and Hilary Knight of Wisconsin, and goaltender Noora Raty of Minnesota.

The award selection process began in late February, when NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches were asked to nominate players for the award. Players who were nominated by two or more coaches were then placed on an official ballot, which was sent back to the coaches to vote for the top 10 finalists. The independent accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, tabulated the ballots.

The three finalists, including the recipient of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, will be chosen by a 13-member selection committee comprised of NCAA Division I women's ice hockey coaches, representatives of the print and broadcast media, an at-large member and a representative of USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States.

The three finalists for this year's award will be announced on March 10.