CLAREMONT — Patty Deschaine knew that when the time came for her to step down as Stevens High field hockey head coach, she would have a succession plan in place.

For the last four seasons of her 20-year run leading the Cardinals, Deschaine has had Abbey Hudson, a 2013 Stevens graduate and later a collegiate field hockey player, on her staff. As Deschaine and her husband, Rick, began to contemplate retirement, she was bringing along Hudson to become the next head coach. Now, Hudson will step into that role this fall after Deschaine called it a career at the end of last season.

“I know the program is in good hands,” Deschaine said after helping coach New Hampshire to a 4-0 win over Vermont in the Twin State all-star game on June 23 at Hanover High. “Her presence is going to be helpful, and we’re going to be there if we need to, as far as questions or anything like that.”

A three-sport standout at Springfield (Vt.) High, Deschaine — then known as Patty Porter — helped the Cosmos win a field hockey state title as a freshman in 1981. Her star truly blossomed at St. Michael’s College, where she scored 18 goals as a senior in 1988 en route to being named the first All-American in Purple Knights program history.

Deschaine was also captain of the St. Michael’s lacrosse and swimming and diving teams, and was inducted into the school’s athletics Hall of Fame in 1994.

Following graduation, Deschaine returned to Springfield and soon began coaching at nearby Stevens, building a program that experienced sustained success. The Cardinals reached the 2011 NHIAA Division III state championship game, losing 2-1 to Derryfield. While Deschaine’s teams never made it back to a title game, Stevens finished with a winning record in each of the last four years with Hudson on board as an assistant.

“(I’m) just thinking about where I’ve come from the start of it,” Deschaine said. “The coaching I’ve done over the years and the amazing players I’ve had, going through the scorebooks and looking at previous players… just the memories, good memories I’ve had.”

Deschaine’s two daughters, Megan (class of 2012) and Jenna (class of 2014) played for her at Stevens and were on that 2011 runner-up squad, and both followed in their mother’s footsteps to play at St. Michael’s. Hudson (née Rouillard) played at the University of New England under the Nor’easters’ new coach, Danielle Collins.

Hudson returned home after college to begin teaching at Unity Elementary School, and she now teaches physical education at Stevens. She also has coached the Cardinals’ swimming team since 2018, though that team has never had more than 10 members during her tenure and had just four last winter.

“Rick and Patty were tremendous coaches, but also people,” Hudson said. “They would drop anything and be there for anyone at any time. They weren’t just there for the game; they were there for us as kids as well. I’ve known them and the whole family for a long time now.”

Hudson said she wasn’t very vocal during her first year coaching field hockey, but the Deschaines gave her more responsibilities the more experience she gained. In 2021, after edging rival Newport in the first round of the playoffs, No. 7 seed Stevens upset second-seeded Gilford in the quarterfinals before falling in the semifinals to Bishop Brady.

Elyse Scott, a 2018 Stevens graduate who was one of the 2017 Valley News Athletes of the Year and scored 24 goals with 19 assists during her four years with the Cardinals, has joined Hudson’s coaching staff and will lead the junior varsity squad. Former Newport star Maddie Miller, who recorded 37 goals and 26 assists for the Tigers between 2017 and 2020, has come on board as well.

“(The Deschaines) told me at the beginning of the season last year that they would be stepping down,” Hudson said. “They gave me a lot more responsibilities to help prepare me — working on penalty corners, both offensively and defensively. I would do practice plans for a couple of days here and there, and run my own things and do my own drills with the girls on some days. They let me be the person in charge a little bit more this last season, which really helped.”

Stevens fell in double overtime at home to Mascoma in last year’s playoff opener, which turned out to be Deschaine’s final game. The Cardinals graduated just three seniors, with 12 varsity players set to return. Hudson’s team will open the season with a Sugar River rivalry matchup on August 28 at Newport, which reached the semifinals last year and handed Stevens a pair of 5-0 defeats in 2022.

“I feel pretty prepared. Definitely helping out the last four years has really helped,” Hudson said. “If I had to pick something that I was nervous about, it would be having to take the blame for things that happen because of decisions I make. I’m not going to say I’ll regret a decision I make, but I will have to take the fall for that, and that might be difficult for me. But I don’t think it’s anything too drastic or too harsh.”

Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.

CORRECTION: New Stevens High field hockey coach Abbey Hudson attended the University of New England. An earlier version of this story misstated the college Hudson attended after graduating from Stevens in 2013.