Arizona State men’s hockey coach Greg Powers was placed on paid leave Wednesday after sophomore Matthew Mayich was placed on life support last month following a team workout.
Assistant coach Mike Corbett will temporarily replace Powers, and he will coach the team in their first two games of the season this weekend.
Corbett was present when Mayich collapsed.
The news comes two days after seven players asked university president Michael Crow to remove Powers and his staff as further investigation unfurls on the events leading up to Mayich’s hospitalization.
Mayich suffered “exertional heat stroke that caused a lack of oxygen to the brain” during a workout on August 20, his family attorney Rob Carey told ESPN.
He is not expected to recover.
The workout during which Mayich collapsed was led by an ex-Green Beret, Tim Ziesel.
Per multiple accounts, the workout was military-style and forced those lagging behind to do extra work in extreme heat.
Team personnel asked for permission for Ziesel to speak with the team, but allegedly never submitted his training plan for review with the strength and conditioning coach.
Carey also called for the ASU coaching staff to be placed on leave so the players could be free to speak on what happened without fear of repercussions.
The events surrounding the Aug. 20 workout are still under review by the university and under investigation by the ASU Police Department.
Mayich’s parents, John and Christina, also called for the coaching staff to be removed.
“We’ve heard some things about what our family wants that aren’t right, so we want to be clear,” their statement read. “We want this team to have a great season, and we’ll be cheering for you. But the coaches who ran that workout on August 20 need to be removed while an independent investigation gets to the truth. The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day.”
Arizona State opens its season at Lindenwood University in Missouri on Friday and Saturday.
