Perunovich Wins 40th Hobey Baker Award, Swayman Earns Richter Award

Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth) has been named the winner of the 40th annual Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Perunovich, 21, from Hibbing, Minn., recorded a career-high 34 assists and 40 points this season in 34 games, and was also named the 2019-20 NCHC Player of the Year. The junior defenseman finished his collegiate career with 20 goals and 95 assists for 105 points in 115 career outings with the Bulldogs, whom he helped to two straight NCAA national titles (2018, 2019), plus a top five national ranking this year. A shot at a third straight NCAA crown was derailed last month by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has canceled almost all major sport seasons.

Perunovich becomes the sixth UMD Bulldog to win the Hobey Baker Award, following Tom Kurvers (1984), Bill Watson (1985), Chris Marinucci (1994), Junior Lessard (2004) and Jack Connolly (2012).

Jeremy Swayman (Maine) was named the winner of the 2019-20 Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey. The junior from Anchorage, Alaska fashioned an 18-10-5 record for the Black Bears this past season with a 2.07 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, along with three shutouts, in backstopping them to a top 20 national ranking. In three seasons in Orono, Swayman, 21, went 47-40-12 in 100 career appearances (2.51, .927, 4 ShO). He was also a finalist for this year's Hobey Baker Award.

Both awards were revealed late Saturday night on ESPN, on an evening when the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national title game was to have been played in Detroit. Both Perunovich and Swayman have bypassed their senior seasons to sign professional contracts with the NHL clubs that drafted them, Perunovich with the St. Louis Blues and Swayman with the Boston Bruins.

Swayman Finalist for Both Hobey Baker and Richter Awards

The Hobey Hat Trick and the five finalists for the Mike Richter Award have both been announced—and Jeremy Swayman (Maine) is on both lists.

Swayman went 18-10-5 this past season with a 2.07 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, along with three shutouts. He is vying to become the first goaltender to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey, since Ryan Miller (Michigan State) in 2001. The two other finalists this year are forward Jordan Kawaguchi (North Dakota) and defenseman Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth). The winner will be announced April 11.

The four other finalists for the Mike Richter Award include Matthew Galajda (Cornell), Spencer Knight (Boston College), Strauss Mann (Michigan) and Dryden McKay (Minnesota State). The winner will be announced April 10.

Four NCAA Skaters Leave Early for NHL

The list of NCAA players leaving school early to sign NHL contracts keeps growing.

Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth) passed up his senior season to sign with the St. Louis Blues, who tabbed him 45th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The junior defenseman, who helped UMD to two straight NCAA Division I championships before this year's national tournament was canceled by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), recorded a career-high 34 assists and 40 points this season in 34 games, and was also named the 2019-20 NCHC Player of the Year. Perunovich, 21, from Hibbing, Minn., finished his career with 20 goals and 95 assists for 105 points in 115 career outings with the Bulldogs.

Max Gildon (New Hampshire) has joined the Florida Panthers, who took him 66th overall in 2017, after three seasons at UNH. A defenseman from Plano, Texas, Gildon, 20, notched seven goals and 29 points in 34 games this season, and was selected as a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star. He completed his Wildcat career with 21-52—73 points in 101 contests.

Jack Badini (Harvard) also left college after three years when he inked a deal with the Anaheim Ducks, who selected him 91st overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Badini, 22, a forward from Old Greenwich, Conn., notched 6-8—14 points in 31 outings this season for the Crimson, and in three campaigns altogether registered 24-27—51 points in 97 contests.

Trevor Zegras (Boston University) became the latest NCAA one-and-done when the freshman forward signed with the Anaheim Ducks, who chose him ninth overall last summer. In his only season with the Terriers, Zegras, 19, from Bedford, N.Y. posted 11-25—36 points in 33 appearances, and was also named a Hockey East Third-Team All-Star.

U.S. Edges Canada in Snowy WJC Shootout

Former Boston University forward Kiefer Bellows tallied Team USA’s first goal of the day on a power play in regulation, and then added another score in a shootout as the U.S. National Junior Team rebounded from a pair of two-goal deficits to defeat Canada, 4-3, in a round-robin game in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The game was held in snowy conditions before over 44,000 spectators at New Era Field in Orchard Park, N.Y., home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. It was the first outdoor match ever contested in the history of the WJC.

After Canada forged 2-0 and 3-1 leads, including the game-opening goal by Cale Makar (Massachusetts), Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth) got the U.S. within a goal early in the third period off a power-play set-up by Casey Mittelstadt (Minnesota). Mittelstadt then picked up his third assist of the afternoon when he orchestrated the tying goal by Brady Tkachuk (Boston University) later in the stanza.

Following a scoreless five-minute overtime period, Bellows and Tkachuk notched the only goals of the shootout to lift Team USA to the victory. Jake Oettinger (Boston University) finished with 19 saves and added an assist in regulation for the U.S., which lost to Slovakia on Thursday, and also did not allow a shootout goal in four tries by Canada.

The U.S., which outshot Canada, 36-22, now trails its first-place northern neighbor by two points in Group “A” play. The Americans will finish the round-robin portion of the tournament on Sunday against Finland, while the Canadians will take on winless Denmark on Saturday.