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    "original_url": "https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7641141\/2026\/09\/28\/arizona-state-hockey-players-greg-powers\/?emc=edit_na_20260930&nl=breaking-news&segment_id=227279",
    "parsed_content": "Seven Arizona State men\u2019s hockey players asked the university\u2019s president to place the Sun Devils\u2019 coaching staff on administrative leave pending further investigation into the workout that left sophomore transfer Matthew Mayich on life support.In a 26-page letter sent to ASU president Michael Crow on Monday and obtained by The Athletic, the players disputed numerous findings from the university\u2019s initial review of the Aug. 20 workout, writing that Mayich did not receive water and was provided inadequate medical care after his collapse.The players sent the letter anonymously through attorney Tim Casey because, they wrote, they fear retaliation from coach Greg Powers and his staff. The seven players \u2014 roughly a quarter of the roster \u2014 wrote that additional teammates share their views but did not join the letter because they have similar concerns about reprisal.\u201cThe 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,\u201d the players wrote. \u201cNo one has separated us from them since that morning.\u201cWe should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for,\u201d the players added.An Arizona State spokesperson confirmed the school received the letter Monday and did not provide further comment. Late Monday, two Arizona state legislators sent a letter to the chairman of the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees Arizona State, asking the group to appoint an independent investigator to examine the Aug. 20 workout and, separately, to protect athletes and witnesses from retaliation.Players recommended a former player with connections to the program as a potential interim head coach, specifically citing ex-Phoenix Coyotes star Shane Doan.The players\u2019 letter follows more than a month of tumult inside the program, during which several players grew frustrated with the response from Powers and the school. Those players have been uncomfortable sharing what happened Aug. 20 while Powers remains the coach because of the control he exerts over their hockey careers. Some have felt pressured to adopt a version of events inconsistent with what they recall.Mayich, 21, collapsed at the conclusion of the team\u2019s first preseason workout, which was conducted by Tim Ziesel, a former Green Beret whom Powers had met in January through an ASU hockey supporter. Mayich suffered an exertional heat stroke, his family\u2019s lawyer Rob Carey said, which caused a lack of oxygen to his brain. Mayich, who did not have any pre-existing medical conditions, has no chance of a meaningful recovery, according to Carey.Powers initially downplayed Mayich\u2019s condition, the players wrote. They said Powers told them Mayich needed only an IV after he suffered \u201cjust a little heat stroke\u201d and he had \u201cseen this a million times.\u201dAfter the ambulance carrying Mayich left Sun Angel Stadium, the players wrote, Powers told them they were \u201ccloser to making the Frozen Four because of the workout and Matthew having pushed himself to the maximum.\u201d The next day, the players wrote, Powers told them he had received \u201cgood news\u201d and Mayich would be fine. The team then hit the ice for practice.\u201cFrom what we could tell, at no point did Coach Powers seem to appreciate the severity of the situation,\u201d the players wrote.The letter to Crow alleged numerous errors, discrepancies, and omissions in the initial review by ASU executive vice president James Rund, which the university released last week.Rund\u2019s report said Powers directed a water break roughly 20 minutes into the workout. The players said otherwise: Their only water break came 35 to 45 minutes into the roughly 75-minute workout, after a grueling bear crawl, and lasted just seconds. The only players who got water during the break \u2014 about eight \u2014 were the first finishers of the drill.\u201cThe first of us to finish had a few seconds at the bottles before being ordered back while others, including Matthew, were still crawling,\u201d players wrote. \u201cThis was the only water break.\u201dThe players disputed the Rund report\u2019s claim that Mayich did not struggle until the final exercise, a full-field sprint carrying a medicine ball. Mayich exhibited signs of distress earlier, they said, growing disoriented during the bear crawl and becoming so fatigued he could not carry a teammate during a buddy carry exercise. As Ziesel spoke to players before the medicine ball sprint, Mayich leaned on a teammate in order to stand.\u201cNo one at ASU properly monitored him during the workout and no one intervened,\u201d the players wrote.The players also detailed misgivings about the care Mayich received after his collapse. His lips were gray when they found him, they wrote, and he initially answered questions before he stopped responding. He remained in direct sunlight for several minutes. Players never saw any staffer take Mayich\u2019s temperature.The players disputed that Mayich remained on the ground, as Rund wrote in his initial report. Players said Mayich twice was sat upright, both on the field and after teammates carried him into the shade, which is \u201ca position that can reduce blood flow to the brain,\u201d they wrote.The only cooling mechanisms at the workout, the players wrote, were small towels from a cooler, water from squirt bottles and water sprayed from a garden hose onto Mayich for \u201cless than a minute.\u201d No immersion ice tub was present.\u201cIt does not appear that staff were properly trained in identifying or treating heat stroke,\u201d the players wrote.The players also pushed back on the Rund report\u2019s characterization of how Mayich and others who came from cold-weather locations had been acclimatized. Mayich, who is from Stoney Creek, Ontario and played last season at Clarkson, arrived on campus Aug. 12. Players wrote that during the workouts the week before Aug. 20, the only outdoor activity lasted roughly 15 minutes in total, consisting of three five-minute intervals with water and rest breaks in an air-conditioned room in between. They said it did not prepare them for the rigors and heat of the Aug. 20 workout.\u201cMatthew spent most of his \u2018off\u2019 time in his air-conditioned apartment because the heat was too oppressive for him,\u201d the players wrote.The players\u2019 letter disputes some basic facts from Rund\u2019s report. Images from Sun Angel Stadium that day show bright sunshine, the letter said, in contrast to the school\u2019s review saying there was cloud cover.\n \n \n \n \n What You Should Read Next\n \n \n \n \n Inside Arizona State men\u2019s hockey, and the workout that left a player on life support\n \n \n Players are coping with conflicted feelings while practicing under a coach who lamented 'soft' play last season.\n \n \n \n \n \n The letter provides new details about Ziesel\u2019s behavior, too. The players wrote that he told the team his son could do the workout and that \u201cnone of us were worthy of his daughter (which was odd because we understood his daughter to be quite young).\u201d As Ziesel spoke with the team before the final exercise, the players said, he told them he didn\u2019t like hockey and \u201cthe games he had played were \u2018life or death.\u2019\u201d When Powers instructed Ziesel to give players a water break, the letter said, Ziesel replied, \u201cOh yeah, I forgot, you guys need water.\u201d He added he hadn\u2019t drunk water during combat. Ziesel served in Ukraine and Afghanistan before leaving the Army in 2020.Rund\u2019s report found that the coaching staff asked for permission for Ziesel to speak to the team, but didn\u2019t submit his training plan to the strength and conditioning coach for review. The players\u2019 letter asked several questions about his involvement, including who approved him working with the team and whether his background and qualifications were vetted.Powers, ASU\u2019s only coach during its 12 years as a Division I program, did not answer questions about the Aug. 20 workout during a virtual news conference last Wednesday.The letter states that players were not told statements they gave to the ASU Police Department would be shared with the university\u2019s review.Along with asking for Powers and his staff to be placed on leave, the players requested Arizona State refer its police investigation to an outside agency. They asked for a guarantee that no players would lose their scholarship or otherwise face punishment for coming forward.The players asked Crow to act quickly, before their season opens Friday at Lindenwood.\nKatie Strang|Senior Writer, InvestigationsFollow Adam Kilgore|Senior WriterFollow Nathan Fenno|Senior Writer, EnterpriseFollow Sep 29, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports termsPlay today's puzzleWhat did you think of this story?MEHSOLIDAWESOME",
    "published_at": "2026-09-29T01:49:55+00:00",
    "author_name": "Katie Strang, Adam Kilgore, Nathan Fenno",
    "site_name": "The Athletic",
    "section": null,
    "publisher": "The New York Times Company",
    "ai_headline": "Seven Arizona State men\u2019s hockey players asked the university\u2019s president to place the Sun Devils\u2019 coaching staff on administrative leave pending further investigation into the workout that left sophomore transfer Matthew Mayich on life support.",
    "ai_simplified_title": "Arizona State Hockey Players Demand Coach Suspension After Player Collapse",
    "ai_excerpt": "Seven Arizona State men\u2019s hockey players have requested the university president suspend the coaching staff following a workout that left Matthew Mayich on life support. They dispute the university's initial review, citing inadequate medical care and fear of retaliation.",
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        "Heat Stroke",
        "Athlete Welfare"
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