Jillian Dempsey (left) and Josephine Pucci (right) are two of 30 nominees for the 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (Gil Talbot).

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior defenseman and assistant captain Josephine Pucci and classmate Jillian Dempsey of the Harvard women's hockey team,  have been named 2012 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award nominees, USA Hockey announced Monday. Dempsey and Pucci join 28 other candidates on the list for the prestigious award.

Dempsey is Harvard's top scorer this season with 42 points on 23 goals and 19 assists, and also leads the team with a +30 rating. She is ranked 17th in the nation in points per game (1.56), is tied for ninth in the nation in goals per game (0.85) and is tied for tenth in the nation with eight power-play goals in just 27 games played. Her crowning moment came Feb. 4 against Princeton, as she netted her first career hat trick and finished the game with five goals, just one shy of the NCAA record. She has received ECAC Player of the Week honors twice this season.

Pucci has anchored a Harvard defense that ranks seventh in the nation with just 1.79 goals allowed per contest. She is ninth in the nation in points per game among defensemen, averaging 0.83, and is the top power-play scorer on the Harvard squad with 10 points on three goals and seven assists. She also ranks second on the team in blocks this season with 25.

The 34 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey head coaches will select the top-10 finalists from among the group of 30 nominees, with the announcement taking place on March 1. A 13-member selection committee will choose the three finalists (announced March 8), as well as the award recipient, which will be announced live at the brunch ceremony in Duluth on March 17.

For the complete list of Patty Kazmaier Award nominees, click here.