Bulldog fans can reflect in more ways than one during an up-close visit with the shimmering silver cup

DULUTH, MINNESOTA -- (January 28, 2015) – Fans of the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs soon can see up-close their smiling faces beamed back at them in the reflection of a trophy that is quickly becoming one of the most cherished prizes in college hockey.

The Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy, awarded to the postseason playoff victor of the powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference, gets the royal treatment during its two-day stop in Duluth while the Bulldogs host in-state and NCHC rival St. Cloud State on Feb. 13-14.

The Duluth visit by the gleaming silver cup, sporting handles shaped like hockey sticks and built with eight sides to represent each conference member, is part of its tour to the arenas of every NCHC team leading up to its on-ice presentation following the second annual NCHC Frozen Faceoff on March 20-21 at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Last year’s inaugural NCHC Frozen Faceoff Tournament champions, the Denver Pioneers, hoisted the 2-foot-tall trophy after coming out on top in a postseason playoff for a conference that touts many of the great programs in Division I college hockey. The cup’s winner also secures a berth in the NCAA postseason tournament.

For the makers of the Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy, their reward upon the prize being handed over is seeing the players clutching those hockey stick handles and putting aside their fatigue to hoist the 25-pound cup in triumph.

“Every inch of it is polished to the point that it reflects the team’s colors of the winners and the players’ faces when they are looking into it,” said Cody Beltz, director of sports business development for MTM, the trophy’s designer and manufacturer. “It is a shiny, glorious cup that just doesn’t get made every day.”

NCHC officials are encouraging Bulldog fans to pose for a photo with the trophy at its AMSOIL Arena display location on the main concourse, but they are asking fans not to touch the coveted prize. Other than the white-gloved keepers of the cup, no one handles the trophy until the playoff champions make their claim.

While the cup is on display, fans are asked to share their photos with the trophy on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #FFTrophyTour and tweet them to @TheNCHC.

“We are thrilled to give our conference’s fans a chance to be up close and interact with a trophy that all our student-athletes are striving so hard to win,” said NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton. “We want fans to share their experience with the trophy on social media and hope everyone feels the excitement as we push towards presenting the trophy at the Frozen Faceoff in March.”

Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy’s next stop

When: Feb. 13-14, from 6 p.m. until five minutes into third period.

Where: AMSOIL Arena, main concourse – behind section 101

Note: UMD’s arena is one of the larger college hockey venues in the nation. Arriving well before 6 p.m. will ensure a visit with the trophy. Keep in mind that the brief time between periods is sure to be busy.

The Feb. 13 game will be carried nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The Frozen Faceoff Championship Trophy will also appear at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo March 6-7 in St. Paul, Minn., where Minnesota will crown its boys high school champions in Class AA and Class A next door at the Xcel Energy Center.

For more on the entire tour, see the earlier online release.

About the National Collegiate Hockey Conference:

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference is an eight-school, NCAA Division I men’s hockey conference that is in the midst of its second season. The NCHC’s member institutions are: Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University. Since 2000, NCHC’s members have produced four NCAA Champions and 18 NCAA Frozen Four appearances. All eight members have participated in the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship tournament at least once since 2010, including three teams in 2014. For more information, visit http://www.nchchockey.com.