James Jackson/MDN Left winger Hunter Longhi (34) captured Minot Minotauros franchise records for most assists and most points in a season on Saturday night in their 6-4 comeback victory against the Bismarck Bobcats.

With only seven points separating second place from last place in the North America Hockey League (NAHL) Central Division, a heated matchup burned even hotter when in-state rivals Minot Minotauros and Bismarck Bobcats clashed Saturday evening at a sold-out Maysa Arena.

On a night that witnessed left winger Hunter Longhi nail down franchise records for assists and points in a season, the Minot Minotauros climbed into sole possession of fourth place in the division standings after icing a 6-4 comeback victory as they battle to secure a spot in the fast-approaching NAHL playoffs.

Action started fast and furious between the Highway 83 adversaries, with only 89 seconds off the clock before a pass in front of the Tauros crease from Bismarck right winger Erik Atchison ended with left winger Julian Beaumont using a precision wrister to score the game’s opening goal and give the Bobcats a quick 1-0 lead.

Minutes later, a failed attempt to clear the zone by Minot required a great save by Tauros goalie Lawton Zacher to prevent a second Bismarck goal with 15:40 remaining in the period.

Following a less than ideal start, an opportunity-filled change of fortune befell the Tauros in just a ten-second span.

After Bobcats penalties at the 8:30 and 8:40 marks, the Tauros found themselves with nearly two minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage and a golden chance to even the score.

Doing just that, passes by defenseman Joe Blackley and left winger Bryce Howard set the stage for a Tauros equalizer goal courtesy of center Colby Joseph to knot the contest 1-1 with just over 10 minutes remaining in opening action.

Nevertheless, the stalemate was short-lived, as Bismarck’s Beaumont netted his second goal of the contest, and 11th of the season, on a Brandon Reller assist with 5:27 remaining on the scoreboard as the teams headed into intermission with the Bobcats ahead 2-1.

Kicking off with a bang, the second period commenced with each team nabbing a goal within an offense-packed opening three minutes of play.

Making the most of 54 seconds worth of power-play time carried over from the first period, Bismarck center Nico Chmelevski extended the Bobcats edge to 3-1 before a returning Chase LaPinta and Longhi layed the groundwork for a John Emmons’ goal that dwindled their deficit to 3-2.

Overcoming a controversial penalty that left them short-handed for four minutes, the Tauros bottled a burst of timely offensive momentum, turning the tide of the contest with two goals in a two-minute span.

Contributing in both the scoring and passing department, LaPinta showed his versatility with an assist to Justin Dauphinais with 7:41 remaining in the period before netting a goal of his own just 1:58 later to push the Tauros ahead 4-3 heading into the final period.

Racking up a 2-minute interference penalty to begin the final 20 minutes of regulation, the Tauros once again saw themselves tasked with fending off a potential game-tying Bismarck power-play before Longhi put the finishing touches on a record night and Tauros’ victory.

Taking advantage of a Minot power play by way of a Bismarck holding penalty, Longhi tallied his 17th goal of the season with 4:35 off the clock thanks to a premier setup by Weston Knox and Trevor Stachowiak to stretch the Tauros lead to two goals at 5-3.

Despite a score with just under 12 minutes left by Bobcats’ center Vertti Jantunen that drew Bismarck to within one goal, a stout Minot defense held the fort down long enough for Longhi to pen his name in the Tauros’ record book not once, but twice.

Grabbing a franchise-high 39th assist and 56th point in a season via setting up LaPinta for his second goal of the game with just 10 seconds remaining on the clock, the Minotauros cemented their 6-4 victory and sole possession of fourth place in the NAHL Central Division standings.

Along with Longhi’s historic three-assist, one-goal evening, LaPinta shined in his return to the Tauros lineup with a two-goal, two-assist performance.

The playoff push continues for the Minotauros at 7:15 p.m. on Mar. 3 as they square off in a Central Division road contest against the Aberdeen Wings.