Seven Arizona State University hockey players who were on the field when their teammate collapsed during an Aug. 20 workout say the narrative of events put out by coaches, staff and administrators does not reflect "the cruelty and incompetency" of what happened.
The seven players are calling for hockey coaches and staff to be placed on administrative leave and for outside investigators to be brought in for an independent review, according to a 26-page letter sent Sept. 28 to university President Michael Crow.
Phoenix attorney Timothy Casey said all seven players need to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. He said all have signed legal attestations declaring they are members of the team and were at the workout when defender Matthew Mayich
suffered heatstroke and was left on life support with no chance of recovery.
"This was not a team building session. This was to break men down. It was full of sarcasm and ridicule," Casey told The Arizona Republic on Sept. 28. "This was a perfect storm of cruelty and incompetency."
University officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the letter.
The players in the letter dispute virtually every aspect of the university’s preliminary account, which was released publicly Sept. 22 and leveled no blame for what happened during the workout, which was led by an ex-Green Beret on the first day of class.
They said Mayich received no water and showed signs of distress and that coaches and staff failed to follow the university's exertional heat illness policies before, during and after Mayich's collapse. They allege the staff left Mayich lying on the ground while they treated him and that head hockey coach Greg Powers minimized his condition and told other players he would be fine.
The players in the letter say the university's preliminary report by ASU Senior Vice President James Rund avoided calling out policy violations.
Rund's investigative summary and four-page timeline do not identify anyone responsible for the failures or outline accountability measures.
An ongoing investigation by The Arizona Republic has found multiple potential policy violations connected to the workout and Mayich's collapse. The school did not appear to follow its own rules designed to protect students from exertional heat illness before, during and after the workout.
Emergency guidelines for treating heat illness call for immediate immersion in ice water, but the university found Mayich was left lying on the ground as staff draped him in wet towels.
ASU's heat-illness policy says athletes should adjust to the heat gradually in workouts from seven to 14 days, with each exposure increasing in intensity and duration. Rund's report indicates Mayich had only taken part in three days of workouts prior to his collapse. Of those, 15 minutes a day were outside, a combined total of 45 minutes.
The Republic also found the volunteer trainer did not go through the required vetting process or sign standard forms before starting drills on the first day of the fall 2026 semester. Ex-Green Beret Tim Ziesel was allowed to lead the workout based on a handshake agreement with Powers and other staff members, Ziesel's attorney said.
Mayich, a sophomore from Stoney Creek, Ontario, was in his first year at ASU. He was part of a 2026 transfer portal class that ranked first in the country. He appeared in 34 games, tallying seven goals and eight assists, in his freshman season at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League in 2023. Drafted players retain their college status while NHL teams hold their exclusive signing rights.
Casey said for every player he represents, he has learned of others who want to come forward.
“We should not have to choose between telling the truth about August 20 and keeping what we have worked our whole lives for,” the players wrote.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X at @ReyCJrAZ.
This is a developing story. Check back with azcentral.com for updates.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 7 hockey players accuse ASU of hiding truth in near-fatal workout
