LEWISTON – Defending champions, by nature, feel pressure.

In most leagues, at least in some form, pieces of the previous year’s team remain in place, even in a league such as the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in which turnover is generally high among top teams.

The Lewiston Maineiacs, the 2007 President’s Cup champions, are no different. With the playoffs upon them again, 12 of this year’s players – exactly half of the players making the trip to Cape Breton this weekend – have vivid, and likely fond memories of last year’s playoff run.

“We all remember well what we went through last year, and what it took to get there,” 20-year-old forward Chris Tutalo said. “We share a lot of stories with the guys on the team, but it’s hard to relay what’s actually going to happen. They’re not going to understand completely what we’re talking about until they get into the situation, but it helps that they know we’re there for them and behind everybody, supporting everyone of our teammates.”

That support helped players like 16-year-old Eric Gelinas and 17-year-olds Marc Bourgeois and Billy Lacasse emerge this season as key players during the regular season.

“At the beginning of the year, I was playing a lot, and playing with older guys, too,” Gelinas said. “Even in the practices, with Marshall and Cusack and them, they gave me a lot of help.”

“We’ve got guys like Billy Lacasse, for example, who’ve logged a lot of minutes, and for guys like that it’s not going to be that big a deal,” head coach Ed Harding said. “They should get acclimated pretty quickly.”

Even still, the rookies acknowledge the playoffs present a unique and at times unsettling unknown.

“I am pretty nervous,” Gelinas admitted. “I’ve never seen the playoffs in the Q, but I’m going to get used to it. I’m pretty nervous, but excited, too.”

Perhaps not so much for rookie Alex Beaton, who accompanied the Maineiacs to Val d’Or and Vancouver last year. Though he didn’t log a single minute of ice time, Beaton was there.

“It’s like I’ve been there, but I’ve still never played in the playoffs,” Beaton said. “It’s still going to be new for me. I think I’ve got a little more experience than some of the other rookies.”

This is where the veterans come in.

“The older players, it’s going to be important for us to play well in the playoffs,” defenseman and third-year player Kevin Marshall said. “I remember last year, in the playoffs, all the veterans and older guys, they did an awesome job with the young guys, and that’s why we’re so successful. The leaders have to do a very good job this year.”

“If your veterans show up to play, you have success, and if they don’t, you go packing,” fellow 18-year-old veteran defenseman Patrick Cusack said.

The mix of veterans and youth has helped the Maineiacs steady the ship this season. It’s allowed for cautious exuberance and controlled excitement, two very big factors in the success of a team in the QMJHL playoffs.

“As far as nerves, we’ll see Friday night,” Beaton said. “But we’re definitely excited. Watching last year, I wanted to play so bad, and now I get my chance. We all get our chance.”