A hockey player at Arizona State University remains on life support after he collapsed during an August workout at the school’s football stadium.
The Canadian-born transfer, Matthew Mayich, had recently arrived in town when the ASU hockey program brought in a former Green Beret to lead the team through an intense, roughly 45-minute workout in the desert heat. Mayich fell to the ground toward the end of the rigorous regimen and was taken to a nearby hospital. According to The Athletic, his lawyer and family do not expect him to recover.
A subsequent review by the athletic department reportedly did not “assign responsibility” for Mayich’s collapse, The Athletic reported. The review did, however, reveal that ASU’s hockey coaches did not review the Green Beret’s workout. Head coach Greg Powers remains in his position more than a month after Mayich went down. The season begins next week.
During a virtual press conference this week, The Athletic’s Katie Strang confronted Powers for his refusal to address the incidents that led to Mayich being hospitalized.
“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?” Strang asked.
Powers demurred.
“Again, just not able to answer questions about it in any way,” he said.
At that point, a communications staffer attempted to step in. Strang was undeterred.
“I have one more, I’d like to ask it,” she said. “In talking to players that have played for you previously, they’ve said that one of the things that has been a guiding principle and philosophy for you is accountability. How have you modeled accountability for your team over the past month?”
Powers: “In a lot of ways.”
Strang: “Can you expand on that?”
Powers: “No, not today.”
Reporter presses ASU hockey head coach for answers amidst controversy surrounding a player that collapsed during a sanctioned, outdoor team activity just before 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20. LINK IN BIO pic.twitter.com/t8cFgypcjU
— Arizona’s Family Sports (@AZFamilySports) September 23, 2026
Earlier in the press conference, Powers issued a scripted statement addressing the Mayich situation. The coach, who has run the ASU program for more than a decade, cited “a tremendous university support system” for Mayich, his family, and the rest of the team. Powers added that getting work in on the rink “is what is helping us most,” and said that amid the university review and an ongoing investigation by campus police, he could not answer any questions about the incident.
Asked about the team’s current workout routine, Powers said, “I don’t run workouts,” and suggested the team’s strength and conditioning coach was operating business as usual.
Strang is a veteran investigative reporter whose recent work for The Athletic runs the gamut from Mary Kate Cornett’s experience with Pat McAfee to Sherrone Moore’s dismissal from Michigan to New York Giants owner Steve Tisch’s presence in the Epstein files. Strang previously covered baseball and hockey for ESPN.
Readers don’t typically get to see a reporter like Strang doing her job out in the open. By the time an investigative reporter gets to the point of publicly pressing a source like this, it is usually because they have exhausted all other means. The interaction between Strang and Powers became contentious because the coach appeared to hide behind the active investigation to avoid answering her broader questions about his conduct.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is an Editorial Lead at Awful Announcing overseeing digital content and special projects. He lives in Phoenix and has covered sports media for Awful Announcing since 2023.