The Canucks and the Blues showed Saturday why the playoffs are the most exciting time of the year for Bainbridge roller hockey fans, and Hans Olson showed why he is the number one goal-scorer in the league.

In the Division III playoff opener at Battle Point Park, the two teams ended regulation play with a 9-9 tie. A five-minute sudden-death overtime period saw a flurry of shots on goal, but when the final whistle sounded the two teams were still deadlocked at nine apiece.

During the regular season, a tie after overtime stands. In the playoffs, a tie after the OT period means only one thing — a shoot out.

Goal-scorers love them and netminders hate them – a one-on-one test of skill and patience where the skater brings the puck in alone on the goaltender. The shooter waits for the goalie to commit, and the goalie waits for the shooter to tip his hand — all in a matter of seconds.

Olson put the puck past Blues goalie Elliot Thompson on the fourth Canuck shoot-out opportunity to end the game, and advance his team to Sunday’s championship round.

Playing with a short bench in the afternoon heat, Canucks coach Geoff Campbell relied on short shifts and hanging back defensively.

“We’ve got a lot of people on vacation,” said Campbell. “But we’ve also got some guys that are pretty strong athletes.”

The Canucks dominated the offensive zone early, testing Blues netminder Thompson with rapid shots.

The Blues countered with stiff defense and several steals that led to two-on-one and three-on-two chances, which were stopped by Canuck goaltender Paul Mancebo.

Near the end of the first period, Brandon Weiss flipped a shot wide of the goal, and Cole Blackwood batted it out of the air at waist-level and into the net, scoring the first goal of the game for the Blues.

The Canucks immediately stepped up play in the second period, with Olson flashing in on the right wing side and ripping a shot from the top of the face-off circle, high to Thompson’s glove side, for the goal.

Three more goals went in for the Canucks before Weiss countered with a top-shelf wrister that blew by Mancebo.

Play began to get scrappy between the Division III teams, with the Blues taking a three-minute penalty for a hard shoulder check.

Short-handed but undaunted, the Blues’ Keith Mowell broke into the zone and scored low stick-side to bring the score to 4-3.

But it didn’t take long for the Canucks to regroup, as Olson whipped a shot short-side from an impossible angle, beating Thompson.

A pair of shorthanded goals by the Blues’ Blackwood and Weiss tied the game at five apiece at the end of the second period.

The teams traded goals in the third, with furious end-to-end play that saw a 9-7 Canucks lead wither to a 9-9 tie with a pair of Blues tallies by Keith Mowell, including a fantastic spinaround shot in the crease with three minutes left in regulation.

A penalty to the Blues Scott Heinemann at the whistle left the team shorthanded again at the onset of the five minute sudden-death overtime period. With a 4-on-3 advantage, the Canucks’ Olson put everything he could on net, but determined netminder Thompson continued coming up big between the pipes.

The overtime period elapsed without a goal by either team, necessitating a shoot-out — the best of five shots on goal for each team.

Alternating shooters, the Blues put in their first attempt, as did the Canucks. But the second go-around for the Blues didn’t find the back of the net, and the next two Canucks skaters put home their shots, with Olson scoring the final goal.

The Canucks won the shoot-out 3-1, and advanced to the championship round against the Islanders.

“Hans was really filling it in,” said Campbell of Olson after the win.

Olson scored eight times in the contest for the Canucks, with Langhor scoring twice and Brendan Campbell notching one goal and an assist. For the Blues, Mowell had four goals and both Blackwood and Weiss scored hat tricks.

Playoff Results: Division I — Stars 2, Bruins 4; Blackhawks 3, Sharks 5. Division II — Flyers 2, Hurricanes 13; Maple Leafs 2, Red Wings 8.

Division III — Blues 10, Canucks 12; Islanders 9, Wild 5.

Consolation Games: Division I — Stars 5, Blackhawks 1; Division II — Flyers 2, Maple Leafs 6. Division III — Blues 10, Wild 9.

Championship games: Division I Champs: Bruins — Bruins 5, Sharks 0. Division II Champs: Hurricanes — Hurricanes 5, Red Wings 3.

Division III Champs: Islanders — Islanders 8, Canucks 4.