Arizona State hockey coach placed on leave after player collapse

Arizona State University has placed men’s ice hockey head coach Greg Powers on paid administrative leave following a training incident that left defenseman Matthew Mayich on life support. The collapse occurred during a workout on August 20.

Assistant coach Mike Corbett, who was present during the August 20 exercise, will lead the team as the university prepares to name an interim head coach. Powers issued a statement supporting the university’s decision, noting that the leave would allow for a thorough and independent review of the circumstances surrounding the workout.

The program, which maintains one of the largest budgets in college hockey with an average annual spend of approximately $5.58 million, is facing scrutiny regarding its conditioning procedures and the transparency of its internal review process.