The Athletic’s Katie Strang confronts ASU hockey coach over workout that left player on life support

Arizona State University hockey coach Greg Powers faced intense questioning from The Athletic's Katie Strang over the collapse of player Matthew Mayich during a workout. Mayich, who was on life support, suffered a collapse during an intense 45-minute session in the desert heat, just before the start of the season. ASU's athletic department conducted a review but did not assign responsibility for Mayich's collapse.

During the press conference, Strang pressed Powers on his refusal to address the incident, asking why he prioritized discussing hockey over the player's condition. Powers repeatedly declined to answer, stating he was "not able to answer questions about it in any way." Strang then asked Powers how he modeled accountability, to which Powers responded vaguely, "In a lot of ways," before refusing to expand on the matter.

Powers claimed that the team's rink workouts were crucial for their success and that the ongoing university review and campus police investigation prevented him from providing any additional information. Strang pointed out that Powers did not directly answer her questions, and Powers responded by asserting he did not run the workouts, suggesting the strength and conditioning coach managed the program.