Hockey Players Dispute Arizona State Report, Want Coaches put on Leave: Puck Drop

In a 26-page letter, seven Arizona State men’s hockey players called on the university president Michael Crow to place head coach Greg Powers and the rest of the Sun Devils staff on administrative leave pending an outside investigation into the August 20th workout that left sophomore transfer Matthew Mayich in a coma.

In it, the players disputed numerous points in Arizona State’s initial review by ASU executive vice president James Rund. Their Phoenix-based attorney, Tim Casey, called the workout led by Tim Ziesel, a former Green Beret, "a perfect storm of cruelty and incompetency."

“No one at ASU properly monitored him during the workout and no one intervened,” the players wrote, along with: “From what we could tell, at no point did Coach Powers seem to appreciate the severity of the situation.”

They added that Powers initially downplayed Mayich’s condition and misled them about his condition. The players, writing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, asked Crow to act quickly, before their season opens Friday at Lindenwood.

KTAR in Phoenix posted the entire letter, which can be read here.

The summary includes the following 10 items:
1. The instructor was not approved under ASU’s Outside Consultants policy
2. The session lasted more than 75 minutes, not 45.
3. Mayich was not acclimatized
4. The Rund report does not report any on-field heat measurement
5. Mayich received no water
6. Extra exercise was used as punishment
7. The session continued after some of us showed signs of distress
8. The emergency equipment the policy requires was not on the field, including a cold-water immersion tub and ice chests and it does not appear that staff were properly trained in identifying or treating heat stroke
9. Police interviews were shared with the administrative review
10. The Rund report does not identify anyone responsible

A footnote on the letter reads: “Each of the seven members are personally aware of other hockey team members who share the concerns and questions set forth in this letter but who do not join this letter because they fear retaliation for publicly speaking the truth.”

On Monday evening, the Arizona House and Senate education chairs called for Arizona State’s Board of Regents to approve an independent investigation.

Powers, who last fall agreed to a new five-year contract with Arizona State through 2030, has declined to talk to reporters about the workout. The players suggested that someone with hockey experience and a connection to the Sun Devils program like former Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan would be “excellent candidates for interim coaching.”

USA Hockey Men’s Preseason Poll

The preseason USA Hockey Men's College Hockey Poll, in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association, was released and similar to the other major college hockey poll by the USCHO, the had reigning national champion Denver at No. 1.

In fact, the top 13 spots were identical, and the rankings had the same 20 teams.

Rank	School	Votes (First)	Prev.
1	Denver	668 (29)	1
2	Michigan	620 (1)	3
3	Michigan State	614 (3)	5
4	North Dakota	589 (1)	4
5	Minnesota Duluth	514	7
6	Wisconsin	494	2
7	Providence	461	9
8	Quinnipiac	455	8
9	Western Michigan	433	6
10	Massachusetts	308	16
11	Dartmouth	299	10
12	Boston College	287	18
13	Cornell	240	12
14	Connecticut	207	13
15	Boston University	185	NR
16	Penn State	174	11
17	Minnesota State	157	14
18	Minnesota	103	NR
19	Merrimack	59	15
20	Michigan Tech	50	NR

Others Receiving Votes: Augustana 46; Ohio State 33; St. Thomas 28; Bowling Green 26; Miami 22; Maine 19; Bentley 14; Northeastern 10; Clarkson 7; Princeton 7; Sacred Heart 7; Colorado College 1; Harvard 1; New Hampshire 1; Union 1.

Here's the USCHO.com preseason rankings for comparison, they were initially released last week:

USCHO Men’s Poll

Rank	Team	Points (First)	Previous
1	Denver	973 (35)	1
2	Michigan	915 (6)	3
3	Michigan State	886 (7)	5
4	North Dakota	859 (2)	4
5	Minnesota Duluth	737	7
6	Wisconsin	709	2
7	Quinnipiac	692	8
8	Western Michigan	653	6
9	Providence	629	9
10	Massachusetts	453	16
11	Dartmouth	436	10
12	Boston College	378	19
13	Cornell	319	12
14	Minnesota	285	NR
15	Connecticut	272	13
16	Boston University	254	NR
17	Penn State	243	11
18	Minnesota State	176	14
19	Michigan Tech	145	NR
20	Merrimack	82	15

Others receiving votes: Augustana 70, Ohio State 59, St. Thomas 50, Miami 49, Bowling Green 39, Colorado College 39, Bentley 24, Sacred Heart 17, Clarkson 12, Northeastern 11, Maine 9, Princeton 7, Harvard 6, Arizona State 5, Notre Dame 5, Brown 1, New Hampshire 1

USCHO Women’s Poll

The first wekeend with most teams playing resulted in a few changes, including Connecticut dropping from No. 7 to No. 12 after getting swept at St. Cloud State. Mercyhurst dropped out of the top 15.

Rank	Team	Record	Points	Prev.
1	Wisconsin (17)	2-0-0	297	1
2	Ohio State (3)	2-0-0	283	2
3	Minnesota	0-0-0	248	3
4	Penn State	0-2-0	231	4
5	Northeastern	0-0-0	226	5
6	Quinnipiac	2-0-0	199	6
7	Minnesota Duluth	2-0-0	163	9
8	Princeton	0-0-0	153	8
9	Clarkson	2-0-0	110	12
10	Yale	0-0-0	107	10
11	Cornell	0-0-0	106	11
12	Connecticut	0-2-0	86	7
13	St. Cloud State	2-0-0	71	NR
14	Colgate	0-0-0	46	13
15	Minnesota State	2-0-0	44	14

Also receiving votes: Mercyhurst 25, St. Lawrence 3, St. Thomas 1, Vermont 1

This week's latest USA Hockey Women’s Poll will be released on Tuesdaay.

Puck Drop: Tuesday, September 29, 2026

The U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act late Monday. The bill moves to the House of Representatives, however Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde quotes a House source that says there’s a “0.0 percent chance” the House returns before election day to vote on it. Also, Yahoo reported that the proposed 20 percent cap on international athletes is being pushed via separate companion legislation rather than an adopted amendment to the main PCSA bill.

On the eve to the start of the NHL season a major trade involving a couple of former college players was executed with the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring winger Kirill Marchenko, forward Miles Wood (Boston College), and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins from the Columbus Blue Jackets, in exchange for forward Matthew Knies (Minnesota), 6-foot-6 center Steven Lorentz, defenseman Emil Andrae, and a conditional second‑round pick. Toronto subsequently announced a six‑year extension with Marchenko averaging $12.5 million per season.

Looks as though Matthew Knies will be donning the number 89 for the first time since his days at the University of Minnesota 👀

(via: @BlueJacketsNHL) pic.twitter.com/NFNdEDywpe
— BarDown (@BarDown) September 29, 2026

Other NHL moves including forward Colin Blackwell (Harvard) being assigned to Texas of the AHL on Monday after clearing waivers. He had 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 70 regular-season games for the Stars last season. … Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. … Canucks co-president of hockey operations Henrik Sedin was quoted as saying Vancouver is aiming to have goaltender Thatcher Demko (Michigan) back by Christmas. He had hip surgery in January. … Tyson Jost (North Dakota) signed a one-year deal with the Predators.

The Minnesota Wild and local team reporters announced creation of the Jessi Pierce Media Beauty Award, he award recognizing the Wild player who best exemplifies professionalism, accessibility and respect in their interactions with local media. It honors former Wild staffer Jessi Pierce (Iowa State) and her three children, Hudson, Cayden, and Avery, who died in house fire last winter.

Former Boston University left wing Matt Nieto retired as a player, after 705 games over 12 seasons in the NHL.

UND announced that radio play-by-play broadcaster Tim Hennessy is returning to call a final season of UND hockey home games.

CBC/Radio-Canada announced that Hockey Night in Canada will continue under a new partnership with the PWHL.

The Washington Capitals opted for a different setting for their first practice after roster cuts, the U.S. Naval Academy. "I thought it was just an opportunity at the end of a difficult training camp, with some difficult decisions, to get, ultimately, our final group, roster together, spend some time sort of out of our normal environment and come to a great area," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said per NHL.com. "You come to downtown Annapolis and all the history and the Naval Academy and being the capital city of the state of Maryland, just try to enjoy 48 hours here, get some time away with an off day yesterday, and then skate here." The team also went to nearby Woodmere Country Club for a golf outing. Washington opens the season Friday at Carolina.

Countdown to the 2026-27 Men’s Season

… 3 days

The NHL season begins today.

This Date in Hockey History

September 29, 1962: Boston University goaltender Cleon Daskalakis was born in Boston.

September 29, 1963: Hall of Fame left wing Dave Andreychuk, who played in 1,639 games over 23 years in the NHL, and scored 640 goals, 698 assists and 1,338 points, was born in Hamilton, Ontario.

September 29, 1965: Merrimack forward Jim Vesey was born in Charlestown, Mass.

September 29, 1966: Maine center Mario Thyer was born in Montreal.

September 29, 1973: Providence left wing Joe Hulbig was born in Norwood, Mass.

September 29, 1979: In preparation for the upcoming Winter Olympics the Miracle on Ice team played the first of four straight NHL teams, the Minnesota North Stars, and lost 4-2. It subsequently lost to the St. Louis Blues 9-1, the Atlanta Flames 6-5, and the Washington Capitals 5-4.

September 29, 1983: Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Nathan Lawson was born in Calgary.

September 29, 1990: Minnesota center Jordan Schroeder was born in Lakeville, Minn.

September 29, 1991: Harvard defenseman Danny Biega was born in Montreal.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“A goal is my responsibility, pure and simple."
Ken Dryden

We'll Leave You With This ...

The ultimate competitor and team leader.

Macklin Celebrini's captaincy era is here. pic.twitter.com/KtwB0wkxQO
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 29, 2026

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