Forget kickers and maulers, the biggest thing that gets you killed is glances when you decide to actually attack someone, since at most you can pull off 1 power strike and like 4 strength, so your best weapon is the Nordic Short Sword (actually a nice weapon for the requirement).
Shield skill should affect your chance to be crushed through. It doesn't, but it should. Use a Steel Shield with this build and you will actually block maul overheads sometimes, since crushthrough defense is only about weight.