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Many of those are thanks to Heather Scudder, who stepped down as the team’s head coach two years ago. Her second stint at the helm, which began last week, feels more like she’s inherited a new team rather than the one she helped put on the map.
Scudder, 58, led the Hurricanes to 16 VPA finals and 11 state championships. Hartford teams, at one point, made 13 consecutive semifinal appearances, and she amassed a 305-92-56 overall record in 28 seasons.
Scudder stepped away in 2014, in part, to give the next generation of coaches a chance to interact with athletes closer to their age. A physical education teacher at Hartford, Scudder stayed involved in field hockey through refereeing in Vermont and kept tabs on the Hurricanes when she could. When Hartford chose not to renew the contract of second-year coach Heath Haskell after last season, Scudder saw an opportunity to return to her former team with a better understanding of just what she was missing.
“It was like an onion; there were many reasons (why I stepped down),” Scudder said before an afternoon practice on Monday. “There are so many coaches that stay on too long. … I saw Anne Doton at Woodstock, a wonderful young lady who’s very positive, and I just thought, ‘OK, some coaches hang on too long. Bow out gracefully.’
“I was really hoping they’d get the right fit (at Hartford), in my mind, and this person could take the program into the future.”
Haskell led the Hurricanes to a 16-9-2 record over two seasons, falling in the Vermont Division I quarterfinals both times.
Hartford, in a lot of ways, is a brand new team to Scudder. Only three athletes — seniors Havailah Arnold, Morgan Fiske and Morgan Pero — played under the veteran coach before she stepped down. Others on the team had only heard her name. But the Hurricanes are hoping familiarity at the top can cure whatever has kept the team from going the distance the last two seasons.
“I was happy that it was Scudder because I wanted her all four years, but we didn’t get that,” Arnold said. “When I started playing field hockey in third grade, it was always Scudder. It was this big name. I’m really excited to have her.”
Added Hartford senior Michaela Ricker, who was on junior varsity when Scudder last coached the Canes: “Being part of the program, you knew a lot about her, her style and stuff. Coming back into that style, after these past couple of years, it’s good. … She knows what she’s doing. She gets what she wants out of her players. Even if we came into this season not knowing what to do, she’d be able to come into this season and set us all straight and get us to where we need to be.”
Hartford athletic director Jeff Moreno said he’s seen a new, re-energized Scudder since the coaching job became available. “It’s been neat to see,” Moreno said.
Still, hiring someone who once walked away from the program wasn’t easy.
“It was a concern. … We discussed that,” Moreno said. “I also think, in this day and age, to have a coach that knows when they’ve reached a point where they’re no longer being effective … ultimately, I respect her for it. Sometimes, with coaches, you have to push them out. That’s not fun for anyone. In one regard, she walked away and recognized where she was.”
Scudder said she learned a lot about field hockey as an official; being closer to the action appealed to her and, by her second season with a whistle, she felt like she was beginning to get the hang of refereeing. It was during her time officiating that the possibility of coaching again first came up.
“I did a game at Lebanon, and (longtime coach) Deb Beach mentioned she was retiring,” Scudder said on Monday. “I started thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I should put in for that job, because the Hartford job was full.’ Then I heard there was going to be an opening here. That was the decision, to go for one or the other.
“I know Vermont. I know what time the bus leaves if we’re playing Otter Valley. I don’t know the schools in New Hampshire. And I teach at Hartford. Sometimes you have to simplify your life.”
It helps, Scudder said, when the group you come back to is passionate about the game.
“This group of girls is lovely,” she said. “I went to a game where we were upset (a 2-0 loss to Colchester in last year’s D-I tournament). I just thought, ‘Given the chance, I think I could help them more.’ ”
Scudder said her plan was to re-evaluate her desire to coach in five years, understanding that longevity for an older coach would be a point of concern.
The good news is that Hartford’s roster is largely filled with young and inexperienced players; 26 of its 37 athletes are underclassmen. Despite her history at the school, Scudder’s second go-round with the Hurricanes begins with a clean state and a chance to do what she does best: Put Hartford back on track and put championship on the new banner.
“(I missed coaching) more than I think I’d like to admit,” Scudder said.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.