Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich is fighting for his life, still in critical condition after collapsing during a team workout on August 20. And to be honest, what ASU head coach Greg Powers just pulled at his first press conference in a month is an absolute slap in the face to anyone who believes in accountability, especially when a young player’s future, or lack thereof, is on the line. Mayich suffered an exertional heat stroke that landed him in the hospital, and his family attorney, Rob Carey, has tragically stated that Mayich is unlikely to recover. Unlikely to recover, man. Let that sink in.
The “Military-Style” Workout That Changed Everything
This whole nightmare started on August 20, the very first day of training camp for Arizona State. Coach Powers, who’s been at the helm since 2010, reportedly brought in a former Green Beret named Tim Ziesel to lead a “military-style workout.” You read that right: a Green Beret running a team workout on day one. A video obtained by Arizona’s Family Sports shows Ziesel leading the session, an outdoor team activity just before 8:30 a.m. that morning. And it was during this sanctioned, outdoor activity that Matthew Mayich, a promising NHL prospect, collapsed. The kid’s life hangs in the balance, a direct consequence of a workout that the head coach himself signed off on. ASU’s findings from that morning just dropped earlier today, September 23, and the heat on Powers is boiling over.
Powers’ Stunning Silence and ‘The Right Guy’ Defense
A month after the incident, Powers finally faced the media on September 23, and what a spectacle it was. He gave “very little information” about what happened, which is a massive understatement. When asked directly if he deserved to keep his job, Powers had the audacity to say, “There’s obviously some things that have been said about me and I respect anything anybody has to say. But I believe I am the right guy, and 20 years of a body of work and building a program, almost 20 years now, I still believe that.” The Athletic’s Katie Strang pressed him, asking, “Can you explain why you think it’s more important for you right now to answer questions about hockey rather than address the circumstances that left one of your players on life support?” His response? A stone-cold dodge: “Again, not able to answer questions regarding it in any way.” He wouldn’t elaborate, not one bit. Arizona State even tried to block Strang’s follow-up, but she got one more in, asking how he’d modeled accountability for his team over the past month. His answer? “In a lot of ways,” followed by yet another refusal to elaborate. It’s infuriating to watch a coach refuse to take real accountability when a player is in such a dire state.
Arizona State hockey is scheduled to open its season with games next weekend, and Powers is still set to continue his job. You gotta wonder, what kind of message does that send to his players, to the Mayich family, and to everyone watching?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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