ASU hockey coach Greg Powers placed on leave in wake of Matthew Mayich’s hospitalization

Arizona State placed hockey head coach Greg Powers on paid leave Wednesday ahead of the team’s season-opener on Friday, a decision that came more than a month after newcomer player Matthew Mayich collapsed during an outdoor workout.

ASU announced assistant Mike Corbett will lead the team this weekend before the program names an interim head coach.

“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,” ASU Athletic Director Graham Rossini said in a statement.

“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.”

Powers issued the following statement, saying he supported ASU’s 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.

I support the university’s decision to place me on administrative leave while the circumstances surrounding the Aug. 20 workout are reviewed. I believe this will allow the review to proceed thoroughly, independently and without distraction. I intend to cooperate fully and want a process that Matthew, our players, their families and the broader ASU community can have confidence in.

I respect our players’ right to speak openly and honestly about their experiences, and I want every player to feel completely free to participate candidly in the review. I care deeply about these young men and their well-being, and I will respect whatever they choose to share through that process.

I always have and always will care deeply about this team, this program and the people in it. For now, the players deserve the opportunity to focus on one another, on Matthew and on the season ahead. I will support them from a distance while the facts are carefully examined and the process moves forward.

According to his family’s lawyers, Mayich has remained hospitalized and on “life support” since the incident, which occurred on Aug. 20, the first day NCAA rules allowed hockey teams to practice because classes were underway.

Leonard Aragon, an attorney representing Mayich, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Sept. 22 that the hockey player is in “stable but critical condition, and his outlook is not good.”

Seven players from the team, speaking anonymously in a letter submitted Monday via Phoenix attorney Tim Casey, told ASU president Michael Crow that safety policies were ignored during the workout and that the coaching staff should be placed on leave so an independent investigation could take place.

The players stated they were speaking anonymously because they feared potential retaliation from the coaching staff.

That fear is not directed at one person. 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. No one has separated us from them since that morning.

The players also disputed an internal review led by James Rund, a senior vice president in ASU’s athletic department. Among the points disputed was that the workout lasted 75 minutes, not 45 as the Rund report found.

The letter called for Crow to act ahead of ASU opening its season with road games Friday and Saturday at Lindenwood, citing Phoenix hockey legend Shane Doan among suggestions for who the university could select as interim coach. The home opener at Mullett Arena is scheduled for Oct. 9 against Holy Cross.

Powers first addressed the incident publicly on Sept. 23 during the National Collegiate Hockey Conference media day with an opening statement before avoiding most of the questions pertaining to Mayich that followed.

As most of you undoubtedly know, it’s a very difficult time for everybody in our program. Matthew Mayich has been hospitalized since Aug. 20, and Matthew and his family are very much in our thoughts and our prayers and at the forefront of our minds as we try to prepare for a new season.

The players, coaches and staff who work with the team, we are all affected by what has happened, and everybody is coping with this in different ways. There is a tremendous university support system in place to help our student-athletes and our staff through whatever we may need. For us, being with each other both at the rink and away from the rink is what is helping us most.

Yesterday, the university shared its first report from (Rund) to ASU president Michael Crow regarding the team activity on Aug. 20. There is also an ongoing ASU Police investigation. I know there will be more questions about Matthew, and we won’t be able to answer those today. I am here today … to talk to you about our hockey season.”

Powers also said he believes he’s still the “right guy” to lead the program.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kevin Stone and Kylie Werner contributed to this report.

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