The National Collegiate Hockey Conference unveiled some more of its 2019-20 major award winners today and among those honored were a pair of University of Minnesota Duluth juniors -- defenseman
Scott Perunovich and right winger
Kobe Roth.
Perunovich was announced as the Three Stars of the Game Award winner (he shared that honor with the University of North Dakota's Jordan Kawaguchi) while Roth is this year's Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Perunovich, who reigned as the NCHC's leading scorer (league games) this past winter and is still up for two other conference awards (Player of the Year and Offensive Defenseman of the Year), was the game's No. 1 star in four of UMD's 24 games this season and totaled 30 points on a 5-3-1 point system. He is the second consecutive Bulldog to be bestowed with the Three Stars of the Game Award, joining current senior goaltender
Hunter Shepard (2018-19). Perunovich also earned all-conference first team recognition for the third time as a collegian in 2019-20, something only one other Bulldog had previously done (Jack Connolly in the WCHA from 2010-12).Â
Roth, the league-best third NCHCÂ Sportsmanship Award winner UMD has produced (
Karson Kuhlman in 2017-18 and Cal Decowski in 2015-16), accrued no penalties in 34 games this season and just six total penalty minutes in 106 career games. He ranked fourth among all Bulldogs in overall goals with a career-high 13 while his five power play tallies tied for the team lead.
"Kobe plays the game the way it's supposed to be played," said UMD head coach
Scott Sandelin. "He has always been the consummate team player, accepting whatever role -- fourth line winger, specialty teams, etc. -- he's given and putting the good of his fellow Bulldogs first. He doesn't care who he plays with and on what line -- he just loves to play. Kobe is what you call a quiet leader. He may not always gain a lot of headlines or be in the spotlight for the classy and humble manner in which he carries himself on and off the ice, but I know the 25 other players in the locker room look up to him because of that."
 Roth, incidentally, was voted by his teammates as the "Player I Would Most Like My Own Sister To Date" in each of the past two UMD player polls.
