Thunder, David Shantz, stop Quad City in shutout

Five months ago, the possibilities would have been endless. In late March, the only thing to say is “What if?”

David Shantz spurred the latest spirited Thunder effort with the team’s first shutout of the season. Shantz, anchoring a game group of defensemen and a stingy penalty-killing unit, stopped all 37 Quad City shots in Wichita’s 1-0 win on Tuesday night at Intrust Bank Arena.

The Thunder (17-38-6-6) has won six of its last 11 games – not an overwhelming streak but a satisfying one and one that inspires wishes that more than five games remained in the season. In four of the five losses in that time, Wichita has topped 40 shots.

On Tuesday, Shantz earned an achievement symbolic of his team’s recent improvement, notching Wichita’s first shutout in 377 days.

“It says a lot about how hard the guys work, especially the (penalty killing unit),” Shantz said. “For the first two periods, I don’t think they even set up in their zone because our guys were so good in the neutral zone and putting pressure up. It’s certainly a team victory.

“Any time you can hold a team scoreless, it’s definitely a testament to how hard the whole team works.”

Leading that charge were, among others, Michael Neal and Dan Milan. Neal, a forward, was active in the Thunder’s penalty killing, setting an example that kept Quad City from scoring in eight power-play opportunities.

Milan, a defenseman was equally assertive staying at home. He shadowed Quad City forwards, leveled big hits that disrupted playmaking, blocked and batted down pucks near the net and outhustled opponents to loose pucks.

“He’s going to excel on the penalty kill,” Thunder coach Kevin McClelland said. “And why is that – because his work ethic is unmatched and he blocks and he sacrifices his body. That’s where a lot of guys can really take a page out of his book. That’s how you play hockey.”

The culmination of Shantz’s night and the excellence of Wichita’s defense came when the Thunder faced a 5-on-3 disadvantage in the third period, clinging to the lead it took in the first.

Quad City was persistent in its attack but unable to penetrate the wall that players like Neal and Milan built and that Shantz fortified. The Thunder maintained its lead, just as it did when Quad City pulled its goalie to create a 6-on-5 edge in the final minute.

“It’s a team game for a reason,” Shantz said. “Especially the past three weeks they’re playing (with five defensemen) and they’re playing a lot of minutes. They’re a little banged up, and I thought they just did an incredible job.”

Those sentiments were shared in Shantz’s direction. A stabilizing force during a difficult season, Shantz provided an elusive benchmark.

“It’s nice to see him get a shutout and it was nice to see him last week get the (ECHL) goalie of the week, too,” McClelland said. “He played well tonight. He had to make some saves down the stretch there, when we ran into penalty trouble again.”

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Thunder, David Shantz, stop Quad City in shutout."