Arizona State has placed men’s hockey coach Greg Powers on paid administrative leave while the university continues to examine an Aug. 20 outdoor workout that left sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich on life support.
Athletic director Graham Rossini announced the move Wednesday, two days after seven players asked university president Michael Crow to remove Powers and his staff pending a fuller investigation. Assistant coach Mike Corbett will run the program for the season-opening series at Lindenwood this weekend. Arizona State said it will name an interim head coach soon.
“Our focus continues to be on Matthew and his family, and on our student-athletes to make sure they have the support they need during this time and as the season begins,” Rossini said. “We have continued to collect as much information as possible. After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the hockey program.”
Mayich, a 21-year-old transfer, collapsed during the session, which was led by former Green Beret Tim Ziesel and attended by the coaching staff. Family attorney Robert Carey has said Mayich suffered exertional heat stroke that cut oxygen to his brain and that he has no chance of a meaningful recovery. He remains hospitalized at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. Attorneys have described his condition as stable but critical, with little change in more than a month.
Powers, an Arizona State alumnus who has led the program since 2010 and oversaw its move to NCAA Division I in 2015, said he supports the decision.
“Matthew and his family remain foremost in my thoughts and prayers. What happened to Matthew has deeply affected everyone in our program, and I continue to hope for strength and healing for him and his family,” Powers said. “I support the University’s decision to place me on administrative leave while the circumstances surrounding the August 20 workout are reviewed. I believe this will allow the review to proceed thoroughly, independently and without distraction.”
He also said he respects the players’ right to speak about what they experienced and that he will cooperate with the review.
The leave followed a 26-page letter sent Monday through Phoenix attorney Tim Casey. The seven players, about a quarter of the roster, wrote anonymously, saying they feared retaliation over playing time, scholarships and roster status. They said other teammates share their concerns but did not join the letter for the same reason.
The players disputed an initial university review led by senior vice president James Rund. They wrote that Mayich did not receive water during a session that ran roughly 75 minutes and that medical care after his collapse was inadequate. They challenged the review’s account of a water break, saying the only break came 35 to 45 minutes in, after a bear crawl, lasted only seconds, and reached only the first players to finish the drill.
Rund’s review, released last week, assigned no individual blame. It said the staff sought permission for Ziesel to address the team but did not submit the planned activities to university strength and conditioning staff. Ziesel had no contract for what was described as a multi-day team-building exercise. Arizona State hockey supporter James “Winky” Fairorth introduced him to Powers in January, according to the timeline. The session was the first day NCAA rules allowed the team to practice.
The university and the Arizona State University Police Department are still reviewing the events. State lawmakers have asked the Arizona Board of Regents for an outside investigation, and U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have also called for an independent review.
Attorneys for Mayich’s family and for the players said placing only Powers on leave does not go far enough. Corbett, who was present for the Aug. 20 workout, remains in charge for the opener, and other staff members, including longtime associate coach Alex Hicks, are still with the program. The players had asked for the staff who approved and supervised the workout to be removed during the inquiry, for written protection against retaliation, and for an investigation conducted outside the university.
