The National Collegiate Hockey Conference unveiled its logo and announced that its inaugural postseason tournament will be March 21-22, 2014 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The tournament features two semifinals on Friday, March 21 followed by third-place and championship games on Saturday. All eight teams in the league advance to the first round of the playoffs for a series hosted by the top four finishers following the 24-game conference regular season. The first-round playoff series winners advance to Minneapolis.

The details were announced at a press conference Thursday morning in Minneapolis City Hall and featured league and city officials.

The new NCHC web site, nchchockey.com, includes info on ticket packages and a new league promotional video. The packages are $130 (lower level and first 8 rows of the upper level) and $60 (rows 9 and up in the upper level) for all four games of the tournament.

Here is a link to the new NCHC web site  and a new league promotional video.

“We’re excited about our new logo, which was designed with the input of all of our member institutions,”  NCHC Commissioner Jim Scherr said in a press release. “It captures the spirit and traditions of our teams and their programs, as well as the significant place that college ice hockey holds in American sport.”

The cluster of eight stars represents the member schools: Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan.

Adrenalin Inc., a sports marketing firm whose logo designs include those of the NHL’s Kings and Coyotes, took input from every NCHC member before crafting the league’s signature symbol. “We explored a variety of options that led to the final mark,” said Adrenalin’s president, Daniel S. Price. “The confidence expressed in the shield, stars and American colors position the NCHC as an important part of college hockey’s new chapter.”