GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup, which will be awarded to the first National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) regular season champion in four weeks, is making its first appearance in Grand Forks this week.

The Grand Forks appearance is the latest on the Penrose Memorial Cup Tour that is making a stop at the home arenas of all eight NCHC member institutions. The trophy will be on display at Ralph Engelstad Arena on the main concourse adjacent to Guest Services on Friday and Saturday during North Dakota's conference series against Miami. Fans are encouraged to pose for photos with the Penrose Cup and tweet their photos to @TheNCHC (#NCHCHockey or #Penrose Cup) or post them on the NCHC's Facebook page.

The Penrose Cup will also make an appearance on WDAZ-TV tonight during the 6 p.m. newscast, as well as appearances on Thursday in Fargo at KVRR (FOX), WDAY-TV and Valley News Live. It will also appear at the UND Fan Luncheon on Friday at Alerus Center.

Awarded to the NCHC's regular season champion, the Penrose Cup is named after Julie and Spencer Penrose, a tremendously successful business couple who were the backbone of hockey in the early 1900s. The trophy's copper stars are a nod to the riches the Penroses made in the copper industry.

The Penroses founded the El Pomar Foundation, which still supports amateur sports and other non-profit organizations and houses the NCHC offices in Colorado Springs.

UND and Miami face off at 7:38 p.m. Central on Friday and 7:07 p.m. Central on Saturday. Friday's game will be telecast live nationally on CBS Sports Network, while Saturday's game can be seen live regionally on Midco Sports Network and online at UNDsports.com.