Arizona State hockey players ask school president to place coach on leave after workout left teammate in coma
Seven Arizona State Sun Devils hockey players have written a letter asking the university’s president to place their head coach, Greg Powers, and his staff on administrative leave after a workout left a teammate on life support and in a coma in August.
In a 26-page letter through an attorney, seven anonymous Sun Devils, fearing retaliation from Powers, wrote to Arizona State University president Michael Crow to place their head and assistant coaches on leave, per The Athletic.
These players are disputing the university’s initial review of the Aug. 20 workout that led sophomore Matthew Mayich to collapse. Within the review’s findings were that Mayich didn’t receive proper hydration and had inadequate medical care after collapsing.
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"The head coach and his assistant coaches were all on the field on August 20, all remain in their positions, and together they decide our playing time, scholarship levels, and roster status," the players wrote in the letter. "No one has separate us from them since that morning.
"We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for."
ARIZONA STATE HOCKEY PLAYER, BLUES DRAFT PICK HOSPITALIZED AFTER COLLAPSING DURING TRAINING
The players added that the "grueling" workout was run by an ex-U.S. Army Green Beret that day, but while an Arizona State review said players were given a water break about 20 minutes into the workout, the players wrote otherwise.
They claim that the water break was around 40 minutes into the 75-minute activity, but it was just a few seconds. The players added that only about eight players actually drank water because they were the first to finish a bear crawl drill beforehand.
"The first of us to finish had a few seconds at the bottles before being ordered back while others, including Matthew, were still crawling," the players’ letter read. "This was the only water break."
The players also wrote that the ex-Green Beret admitted forgetting they needed a water break, but added he didn’t drink water during combat missions.
As for Mayich himself, the players wrote that their teammate showed signs of distress early on in the workout, saying he started to become disoriented during the bear crawl. Also, he was unable to carry a teammate during a buddy carry exercise.
"No one at ASU properly monitored him during the workout and no one intervened," the letter read.
When Mayich eventually collapsed, the players claim he remained in direct sunlight for several minutes, which contradicts Arizona State’s report stating he sat upright twice. The players say that Mayich needed to be carried into the shade by his teammates.
As for cooling him down, the players said the only things available were towels from a cooler, water from the bottles and a garden hose. This was in Arizona heat, which in August regularly sits somewhere in triple digits.
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"Matthew spent most of his ‘off’ time in his air-conditioned apartment because the heat was too oppressive for him," the players wrote about the Ontario native. The players also noted that outdoor workouts prior to Aug. 20 last around 15 minutes before going back inside.
Powers was asked earlier this month about the incident, but he didn’t speak due to the "difficult time" it has been for the program. Players, though, said their head coach downplayed Mayich’s condition when initially speaking to them about it. They said that he simply suffered a "little heat stroke," while adding they were "closer to making the Frozen Four because of the workout…"
The Frozen Four is the equivalent to the Final Four in college basketball.
"From what we could tell, at no point did Coach Powers seem to appreciate the severity of the situation," the players’ letter added.
The Sun Devils are set to begin their 2026–27 season on Friday against Lindenwood.