The 2011-2012 season begins October 12.

The Ducks face a tough schedule in the coming 2011-2012 season, with two showcases and matchups against many of the toughest DII teams on the West Coast. The first half of the season will test the Ducks squad, which only lost 5 players last season to graduation, although that includes both their goaltenders.

The Oregon Ducks season schedule kicks off with a rare Wednesday- Thursday night series against the University of Utah Hockey club on October 12th and 13th. This is the Utes’ first season in the Pac-8 conference, a team that finished with a 16-19-0-2 record and has drastically improved its program in the past four years. The Utes promise to offer a tough matchup, returning for his third year at  Utah is Beau Bertagnoll. who tied for the ACHA Division II scoring title last season with 89 points.

The Ducks will travel to Portland State for a weekend series before they play Washington State at home. While Washington State’s program has struggled in the past but is bringing back the core of their young, albeit inexperienced, team.

November will be a tough month for the Ducks. The squad will travel to San Jose in early November for a showcase hosted by San Jose State. The Ducks are guaranteed three games against San Jose State, Loyola-Marymount and Santa Rosa Junior College.

That roadtrip is followed by the beginning of the Ducks annual season series—the I-5 cup—with Pac-8 rival the University of Washington, who bested Oregon last season in both the series and the Pac-8 championship game.

The Ducks will cap the first half of their season with another showcase in Utah featuring many of the most talented teams in the western region (last year’s ranking listed in parentheses), including San Jose State (7), Colorado State University (3), Texas A&M (10), Utah State University (2) and University of Colorado (4).

The showcase will give the Ducks a chance to prove themselves in the western region, and contend for a spot at regional playoffs this season.

Oregon’s last homestand is against the Cal Bears, who the Ducks beat in the playoffs of last year’s Pac-8 playoffs to reach the championship game.

With regionals as the ultimate goal, it’ll be up to the Ducks to earn back what they’ve lost in the past seasons including the I-5 Cup and the Pac-8 Championship title.