Sophomore Julie Aho tallied four goals on the weekend, including a hat trick against RIT, but the women’s hockey team failed to win its first ever ECAC East title, falling in the finals to Manhattanville for the third straight year by a score of 4-1. The Engineers made it to the final by beating RIT 5-2 in the semifinals.

Early on in the semifinals against RIT, both teams had trouble making line changes, each getting assessed a too many players penalty within the first two minutes of the game.

Aho got RPI on the board first when she beat Tiger goaltender Breanna Dobbe off assists from junior Katie Temple and senior Allie Cooper at the 6:37 mark of the first.

Two minutes into the second, Aho doubled the lead on a good individual effort. Sophomore Sarah Daniel gave the Engineers a 3-0 lead five minutes later off an assist from senior Bridget Rice.

RIT responded with two goals in a minute span to pull the Tigers within one. Kasie Strong scored the first RIT goal at the 10:32 mark of the second. Stacey McConnell beat junior goalie Rosina Schiff on the power play a minute later, eight seconds after freshman Kelly Barbera took a hooking penalty.

RPI put the pressure on in the third, out-shooting the Tigers 11-6 in the period. Junior Julie Welte gave Rensselaer a two-goal cushion again at the 14:16 mark when she beat Dobbe unassisted. Aho completed her hat trick almost two minutes later off another assist from Temple.

Dobbe finished with 28 saves for the Tigers, who end their season at 18-8-1. Schiff made 19 saves in the win.

The Engineers went into the final looking to avenge two regular season losses to Manhattanville. In the first period, the Valiants out-shot RPI 9-5. Schiff and Manhattanville goaltender Nicole Elliott were up to the task, however, keeping the puck out of the net.

Jesse Garner put the Valiants up 1-0 in the second, when she intercepted a Cooper pass deep in the Engineer zone and beat Schiff while shorthanded.

Cherie Stewart doubled the Manhattanville lead four minutes and 40 seconds into the third. Jessica Zimmerman sent a pass to Stewart, who broke in alone on Schiff and beat her with a nice backhand deke.

Nine minutes later, Jessica Temesy gave the Valiants a commanding 3-0 lead off an assist from Erin McAllister.

Aho ended Elliott’s shutout bid with one minute and 47 seconds left in the game. The sophomore picked up a loose puck and beat Elliot, 11 seconds after senior Sondra Sherman took a high sticking penalty.

Stewart scored her second goal of the game on the power play, 41 seconds after the Aho shorthanded goal. Zimmerman and Ashley Trimble assisted on the Manhattanville marker.

Elliott made 17 saves for Manhattanville, who advance to this weekend’s NCAA Tournament first round and will take on Middlebury. Schiff stopped 34 shots in the loss.

The Engineers finish the season with a 21-6-0 mark. The 21 wins is a school record for the women’s program.