LEWISTON — Nine players, two coaches, one radio broadcaster and one administrator are what’s left of the 2008-09 Lewiston Maineiacs.

Fifteen players, two coaches, one administrator and three interns are new.

Friday, with the team’s first road trip of the new season, this conglomeration of new and old — with many of the “old” taking on new and greater responsibilities — will team up to begin what the administration is calling a new era in team history.

“We’re all about moving forward,” coach and president Don MacAdam said. “Last year was what it was, and I don’t think anyone here has an intention of seeing what happened last year happen again.”

Moving forward, MacAdam said, starts with a clean slate, on and off the ice.

The most evident changes, of course, are among the skaters. Of the nine players who skated last season for the Maineiacs, only five were here from August to March.

“Early on, you’re going to see some adjustments made everywhere, with players having played for different coaches and under different systems learning how to do things our way together,” MacAdam said. “The game of hockey isn’t terribly different from one place to another, but certain things are, and we’re going to have to make sure all of our players are working together. I believe we can do that, and we’d better do that. We’re not going to win games easily, but if we work hard and play tough, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

Friday’s opener on the road in Chicoutimi presents an immediate challenge for the staff. The Georges Vezina Centre there contains an over-sized ice sheet, more closely resembling an Olympic surface.

“We’ll be fine there, because we have good team speed,” MacAdam said. “Really, I think it plays a bit to our strengths, to have more room to skate.”

The Maineiacs, MacAdam said, are built more to strength, size and overall skill, without sacrificing speed. And while the team’s overall average age is low, the coach reiterated his stance that age and skill are separate entities.

“You can’t say that age isn’t a factor, but at this point, it’s more of a factor with respect to how we plan for our seasons going forward,” MacAdam said. “As far as each game this season, these players don’t wear their ages on their uniforms, and we’re of the opinion that many of our players have skills either at or beyond their age level, and that’s far more important. It’s not how old they are, it’s how they play the game.”

The Maineiacs may catch a break Sunday, in the second game of the season. Lewiston will face league favorite Quebec in an afternoon matchup, and while Lewiston will be short Finn (Avalanche) and Gelinas (Devils) while they attend professional camps, the Remparts will be short at least seven regular players on opening weekend, including two former Maineiacs, Peter Delmas and Danick Paquette.

“Everybody has some players gone to start the season,” MacAdam said, “and I know they’ll be short a few more than we will, so maybe we can go in there and steal one.”

Lewiston opens at home on Friday, Sept. 18, against Baie-Comeau.