GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota men's hockey student-athletes, coaches and staff were presented their 2015-16 NCAA national championship rings at a private ceremony Wednesday evening at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The rings were made possible through a generous gift from the Engelstad Family Foundation and were created by Jostens Inc. with creative collaboration with UND Athletics.

“We are incredibly grateful for this special gift from the Engelstad family. They are so important to our program and to this University and we cherish that relationship,” said UND Head Coach Brad Berry. “The young men on the ice last season earned these rings, but we also wanted to pay tribute to the championship teams who came before us and laid that foundation of success.”

Each championship ring features an interlocking ND on top surrounded by eight green emeralds that represent all eight of UND's men's hockey national championships. The player name, uniform number and championship trophy adorn one side, with the opposite side featuring Ralph Engelstad Arena, the team record and a championship banner representing each of UND's eight NCAA championship teams.

The inside of the ring displays the 2015-16 team slogan of, “Believe It. Earn It. Raise It.”

“We want to thank the Engelstad Family Foundation for making these rings a reality for the team,” said UND Athletics Director Brian Faison. “The rings symbolize a very special season and the eighth national championship for North Dakota hockey.”

The Fighting Hawks open the 2016-17 season on Saturday with an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba. The championship banner will be raised to the rafters during a special pre-game ceremony.