Ottawa 67′s Michael Nishi has a good read on his game

A post-game interview seldom swings around to a famous Canadian novel. With Michael Nishi, though, it fits since his season has been so full of plot twists.

It goes without saying that people of letters know the only one that matters in the playoffs is W. For Nishi, who stopped 31-of-35 shots on Monday while subbing of the ill Petr Mrazek during the Ottawa 67's 5-2 Game 3 loss to the favoured Niagara IceDogs in Game of the Ontario Hockey League Eastern Conference final, ultimately there was a game to win that eluded his team. After the fact, it became evident how the Toronto native is a degree of separation from so many of the big events that have marked the OHL season.

"I just wish I could have done more for the team," said Nishi, who rued giving up goals to the first minute in both the second and third periods. "I just kick myself because if I could have held on for a few minutes at the start of each period, it might have been a different game."

"I could have done better," the Toronto native, who made just his ninth start since the 20-year-old Mrazek go back in the net after being voted to the tournament all-star team at the world junior championship. "My teammates, my defencemen, they all came out and bailed me out at the precise times. Like the first shot, I let out the rebound and they were able to clear it."

The way Nishi handled the emergency start — he told the Ottawa Citizen's Don Campbell that he "repressed the fact I was playing until I walked into the dressing room" — might say as much for him as his performance. He made several solid saves early in the game before the IceDogs, who had a 26-9 shots edge across the final 40 minutes, took control of the game.

"For coming in cold and not knowing in the afternoon that you're going to start, I thought he did great," Ottawa coach-GM Chris Byrne said. "It's not an easy situation.

"We'll know better [about Mrazek] tomorrow [Tuesday]," Byrne added. "I don't think it's anything long-lasting. A virus."

Three-team odyssey

Getting thrust into the spotlight after not playing for 36 days was just the latest challenge for Nishi this season. He has the distinction of having backed up no less than three different goalies who have represented their nations internationally this season. The former member of the Junior A Georgetown Raiders began the season in the Windsor Spitfires organization, where he was third on the depth chart behind Dallas Stars prospect Jack Campbell and veteran (and BTN contributor) John Cullen. The Spitfires traded him to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, who at the time needed a backup for Matt Murray, who went on to complete his season by helping Canada capture the bronze medal at the IIHF under-18 championship.

Then the 'Hounds made their blockbuster trade for Campbell, the three-time Team USA goalie, which failed to pay off in even so much as a playoff berth. That and an injury to Shayne Campbell (no relation) led to Nishi going from the OHL's western outpost in Sault Ste. Marie to its eastern outpost when Ottawa acquired him to back up Mrazek.

In a neat coincidence, Nishi got his first OHL shutout on Dec. 30. That was the same day that Mrazek made 50 saves and enlivened fans his over-the-top celebrations while helping the Czech Republic eliminate Campbell and Team USA at the world junior.

In other words, it's as if Nishi can be placed n a role that might not seem principal, but is essential to the plot. For those who grew up in Ontario and might faintly recollect their high school English courses, that might faintly evoke the title of Fifth Business, Robertson Davies' 1970 classic. That's good, since Nishi can summarize that tome much better than sportswriters twice his age who (guh) majored in English at university could.

"Writing. I read quite a few books," he said when asked about his curiosities away from hockey. "I really liked the Hunger Games trilogy. The Deptford Trilogy ... I found it [Fifth Business] kind of interesting at the start where ... such as Boy [Percy Boyd Staunton] threw the snowball, but Dunstan [Ramsay, the novel's narratator] felt the blame for it because he was the one who moved out of the way. And then he lived with that and it shaped him. It was the backbone for his whole character, how he acted toward his job, how he acted toward everything, how he was a writer and research on the topic of saints. Because he thought that mother [Mary Dempster] was a saint."

That's in keeping with Nishi's focus on balancing hockey and academics. When he was with the Spitfires as a reserve goalie, his mother, Joanne Nishi, arranged for him to Skype in for his classes at Premier Elite Athletes' Collegiate, a private school that allows young athletes to keep up with school while pursuing sports. Nishi's carried that with him eer since.

"My dad's more 'hockey guy' and my mum's the education driver," said Nishi, who's hoping to begin university before his time in the OHL wraps up. "It works out to a good balance . It teaches you to be really responsible when you do that, because you have to be working at it every day, just like hockey."

It goes without saying the 67's need Mrazek to make a full recovery. The Czech has a 2.47 average and .927 save percentage in 15 playoff games and elevated his game during the first two games of the series. If Nishi's in on Wednesday, he'll give it his all, though.

"I'll just play the best I can and work as hard as I can," he said.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.