HALLOWELL — It came in fits and starts for the Winslow/Gardiner girls hockey team Tuesday night, but it was more than enough to cement a late-season victory at Camden National Bank Ice Vault.

Evelyn Hinkley scored a pair of second-period goals as part of a hat trick and a six-point night, and the Black Tigers again had too much firepower in a 7-3 win over Mt. Ararat/Morse. Winslow/Gardiner improved to 10-6-1 and, with one game remaining until the North regional tournament begins, matched its win total from a season ago.

Bailey Robbins, Sarah Stevens, Anna Chadwick and Kaitlin Fecteau also scored for the Black Tigers, who will in all likelihood finish as the No. 4 seed in the North and host Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland in a quarterfinal game next week.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Hinkley had a hand in six of Winslow/Gardiner’s goals, scoring three of them herself and setting up three others. She has been a mainstay on the Black Tigers’ top line for the last two seasons.

“There are moments where somebody needs to step up,” Hinkley said. “But I also think together as a line we can get those things accomplished. It’s not just me.”

Hinkley now has 32 goals and 20 assists for 52 points in 15 games, an average of 3.06 points per game.

“She is so tenacious,” Winslow/Gardiner head coach Alan Veilleux said. “She’s an all-around player. She’s so unselfish, and she’s very dominant. Any coach would love to have her on their team.”

TOP LINE: Though Veilleux used most of his bench in the win, his top line continues to be too strong for most of the opposition.

In addition to Hinkley’s big night, Chadwick had a goal and two assists, while Stevens also added a goal.

“They’re playing really well right now, all three of them,” Veilleux said. “They’re clicking, and they’re pretty dominant when they’ve got things going.”

“We work really hard together and we just read each other really well,” Chadwick said. “Our passes are pretty on point, we’re good at breaking out, and I think we have a bond that really pulls us together. It shows out on the ice.”

THIRD PERIOD SHINE: The teams traded goals in the first 10:30 of the second period, and Mt. Ararat/Morse pulled to within 3-2 despite a vast difference in shots on goal and time of possession in the attacking zone.

Hinkley’s second of the night came just eight seconds after the Eagles had pulled to within a goal, and she set up Chadwick for a 5-2 lead 4:13 into the third period.

“We talked about little things we had to clean up on,” Veilleux said.

Winslow/Gardiner outshot the visitors 11-4 in the final period.

Hinkley noted that with only one intermission, it really only gives the team that one chance to regroup when the momentum of a game feels like it’s starting to swing the wrong way.

“Unlike the boys, we don’t go in after every period,” Hinkley said. “We really only have that one moment to really regroup and come out together with a new focus.”

UP NEXT: The Black Tigers finish the regular season on Saturday against Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland and then play the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championship game against Lewiston/Monmouth/Oak Hill on Monday. They will host the regional quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Ice Vault, most likely against Edward Little.

Travis Barrett — 621-5621

tbarrett@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TBarrettGWC