ECHL All-Star goalkeeper did this for the first time this season in Wichita Thunder win
Evan Buitenhuis provided a reminder on why he is a reigning ECHL All-Star in goal for the Wichita Thunder in the team’s third straight victory on Sunday.
The 29-year-old goalkeeper notched his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 win, turning away all 35 shots he faced against the Kansas City Mavericks to sweep the three-game homestand at Intrust Bank Arena against the Mountain division rivals.
Behind a strong start at home, Wichita (11-6-2-0) sits in second place in the Mountain division standings, five points behind the Idaho Steelheads, and in fourth place in the ECHL Western conference standings with 24 points.
Buitenhuis delivered his finest performance of the young season on Sunday, stopping 15 shots against him in the first period for a strong start en route to what would become his seventh career shutout. The veteran goalie has faced the second-most shots against (429) in the ECHL early in the season, while logging a 91.6% save percentage and 3.00 goals against average.
The 6-foot-2 backstop was leading the league in minutes played and saves last season before going overseas last February. After a successful stint in Norway, Buitenhuis agreed to terms to return to Wichita this past offseason.
With a veteran turning away shots in goal, the Thunder relied on their youth to deliver the scoring against Kansas City. The goals came from 23-year-old forward Michael Stinil, who netted his sixth and seventh goals of the season, and 21-year-old forward Mark Liwiski, who scored his fifth goal of the season in the victory. It was the second multi-goal game of the season for Stinil, who had scored at least two points in four of his last five games, while defenseman Chris McKay added a pair of assists.
The Thunder open a five-game road trip on Thursday with three straight games at Rapid City (11-8-0-0), then two more next week at Allen (5-11-1-0). Wichita returns home just in time for the holidays and will play host to Rapid City in three straight games from Dec. 21-23.
This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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