LEWISTON — It is one of those things that stays with you.

You try to erase it from your memory. You hope to replace the disappointment. But it lingers, as fresh and heartbreaking as it was that day it happened.

Jamie Belleau knows.

He was a member of the Lewiston High School hockey team that lost to North Yarmouth Academy in the state championship in 1989.

“I’ve told them it’s something you never forget,” Belleau said. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m 41 years old and still remember losing to NYA in overtime up at UMaine-Orono. As a player, that’s something you don’t forget.”

Kyle Lemelin experienced something similar as a freshman. He was on the Blue Devils’ squad that lost in overtime to Thornton Academy in 2011. Being a newcomer to the program, he felt he was just along for the ride. But he understands the disappointment even more now.

“At that point, it didn’t bother me as much but when I think about it now, I really want to win it,” Lemelin, a junior forward, said. “I don’t want to lose again and have that feeling.”

The Blue Devils have a coveted opportunity Saturday when they play in the Class A state championship game against Falmouth. Lewiston boasts a storied state championship history with 20 titles.

The last came in 2002.

Belleau has lost state titles as a player and as a coach, but he also won a pair when coaching Edward Little in 2003 and 2004.

“We talk about opportunity and when you have an opportunity, you don’t want to look back and wonder if you could have done something different,” Belleau said.

Junior defenseman Patrick DeBlois was also on the Lewiston team two years ago that lost to Thornton. He and Lemelin are the only two current Blue Devils with state game experience.

“You know you’re playing in the championship, but it really doesn’t sink in until you get to the rink that day,” said DeBlois. “You walk in and feel how real it is and everything happens.”

Lemelin said he appreciates being in the state game this time around. He didn’t quite understand the magnitude or the opportunity the team had when he was in his first year. Back then, it was easy to assume more chances would follow. He also feels better prepared.

“It’s a matter of being able to deal with the atmosphere,” Lemelin said. “It’s hot in here. There’s a lot of people. You have to be able to focus on your game and shut all that out. It’s really hard. Having that previous experience really helps.”

DeBlois says the important thing is to bring a sense of normalcy to the week of the game. There will be nerves and pressure, but it is just another hockey game.

“You just have to prepare like you did all year and try not to think about it until you go out there,” DeBlois said. “You just do the same things you did all year and pretend its a regular game. There’s just more on the line.”

Belleau said preparing for state games can be complicated. You want to maintain a business-as-usual approach. His team enters the game 18-3-1.

“We can build off that,” Belleau said. “This is just another game, and we need to keep doing the things we’ve done all season long. 18 out of those 22 times, we’ve been successful. We need to build on that and recognize that.”

In contrast to that, Belleau said, is an awareness of what is at stake.

“I’m always honest with them and this is a big game,” Belleau said. “You can’t lose sight of that. This is it. I think they need to understand that, but what we’ve talked about before is that we want to use those 22 games to prepare us for this game.”

The emphasis all season has been mental and physical toughness. They need to be consistent and be prepared to deal with the ups and downs of any game.

“What we want to do is play our game, play three periods of hockey and just let the best team win,” Belleau said. “We don’t want to have poor decision making, lack of effort or undisciplined play.”

Though Lewiston has been successful this season and has been playing some of its best hockey of late, Belleau warned his team about taking anything for granted. Sometimes the best team doesn’t always win, he says, knowing from experience.

“Instead of just being confident, you really have to appreciate that if you play your game and put yourself in a position to be ready to play this game, you give yourself a chance to win,” Belleau said. “Even though I want them to have some normalcy, I want them to understand the urgency. You can’t get nervous about it, but you have to play with some urgency. This is what we’ve been fighting for all year. If we rely on what we’ve done to get here, we should be fine.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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