Days before the start of the season, players from the Arizona State ice hockey team take a stand.
Seven members of the ASU hockey team have requested that the team’s coaching staff be placed on leave pending an investigation into the collapse and hospitalization of a second-year defenseman Matthew Mayich This is according to a 26-page letter sent to school President Michael Crow on Monday, September 28 and obtained by The athlete.
In the letter, the players – all of whom are anonymous – dispute the findings of the university’s investigation into Mayich’s collapse, which occurred during an intense outdoor practice on August 20.
The players insist Mayich, 21, was not given water during the nearly hour-long practice, contradicting what the university’s investigation said in its report released Sept. 22.
A new video shows the moments before Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during a controversial outdoor team practice last month, leaving him in the hospital with “no chance of recovery.” The video, obtained and posted by Arizona’s Family on Tuesday, September 22, shows Green Beret Tim Ziesel training on the field (…)
“The head coach and his assistant coaches were all on the field on August 20th, everyone remains in their positions and together they decide our playing time, scholarship amount and roster status,” the players wrote in the letter. “No one has separated us from them since that morning.”
They added: “We shouldn’t have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 or keeping what we’ve worked for our whole lives.”
Arizona State is scheduled to open the 2026-2027 season on Friday, October 2nd in Lindenwood.
Greg Powers
Zac BonDurant/Getty ImagesA formal investigation by Arizona State Police has not yet been completed. During this time, players suggested taking the position of interim head coach, specifically referencing the former Arizona Coyotes player Shane Doan as a potential candidate.
In their letter, the players claimed that this was the head coach Greg Powers told them that Mayich had “just suffered a little heat stroke” and that he had “seen this a million times.”
Mayich has been in a coma in the hospital since the incident, along with his lawyer. Robert CareyHe said the athlete had “zero chance of recovery.”
After Mayich was taken away in an ambulance, the players claimed Powers told them they were “closer to making the Frozen Four because of training and Matthew pushing himself to the max.”
The next day, Powers reportedly told the team that he had “good news” and that Mayich would be fine.
The parents of Arizona State University hockey player Matthew Mayich are speaking out after their son collapsed, giving him “zero chance of recovery” following a controversial outdoor practice last month. “We were told there was training scheduled for early (that day) and I guess it was hot and the conditions weren’t good for (…)
“As far as we could tell, at no point did Coach Powers appear to have recognized the seriousness of the situation,” the players wrote in the letter.
The players said those in charge on the day of the incident “did not receive adequate training in recognizing or treating heat stroke.”
After Mayich collapsed, he was allegedly forced to sit upright twice, which is “a position that can reduce blood flow to the brain.”
An Arizona State spokesman confirmed the existence of the letter The athlete on Monday but had no further comment.
