TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State has placed head hockey coach Greg Powers on paid administrative leave Wednesday morning, effective immediately according to reports from Brad Elliott Schlossman.

Assistant coach Mike Corbett will serve as the head coach for the Sun Devils’ opening series at Lindenwood this weekend, Oct. 2-3, while ASU begins the search for an interim head coach.

Powers is the only coach in the program's history, making Friday’s game against the Lions the first in Sun Devil hockey history in which Powers will not be in the coaches’ box.

Powers shared a statement Wednesday.

“I support the University’s decision to place me on administrative leave while the circumstances surrounding the Aug. 20 workout are reviewed,” Powers said. “I intend to cooperate fully and want a process that Matthew, our players, their families and the broader ASU community can believe in.”

During his 10-year tenure at the helm, Powers has led ASU to a 167-183-27 NCAA record and an NCAA tournament berth in 2019.

Before that, Powers built a historic resume at the ACHA level, compiling a 164-27-1 overall record with three ACHA Final Four appearances, including a national title in 2014.

Powers being placed on leave comes in the wake of the situation surrounding ASU sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich, who collapsed during a workout at practice on Aug. 20 and remains in critical condition.

Throughout the nearly month-long process, Powers and other Sun Devil athletic officials have been under fire regarding the incident, ultimately leading to ASU athletic director Graham Rossini’s decision to pull Powers away from the team for the time being.

Rossini released a statement about the decision Wednesday.

“Our focus continues to be on Matthew and his family, and on our student-athletes to make sure they have the support they need during this time and as the season begins,” Rossini said. “After thorough and careful deliberation, I believe this is the best move to provide stability for the program.”

The NCHC also came forward on social media Wednesday, throwing its support behind Rossini’s decision.

“The NCHC supports Arizona State’s decision to place head coach Greg Powers on leave while the circumstances surrounding Matthew Mayich’s trauma are examined,” the conference said. “The concerns raised by student-athletes deserve to be heard and thoroughly reviewed.”

The move comes shortly after seven Sun Devils players sent a letter to the university Monday requesting officials to place Powers on administrative leave.

Rossini held meetings with ASU players during the Sun Devils’ Tuesday practice with no coaches in attendance, which ultimately became the final step in the process towards placing Powers on leave.

The move comes just two days before the Sun Devils are slated to kick off the 2026-27 campaign at Lindenwood in Maryland Heights, Mo., at the same rink where the St. Louis Blues practice. The Blues drafted Mayich in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

While officials search for an interim head coach, ASU selected Corbett to take the reins for the early stages of the season.

However, even with Powers out of the picture, Corbett likely won’t stray too far from his predecessor; Powers himself hired Corbett onto the Sun Devils coaching staff in 2024.

Additionally, longtime ASU assistant coach Alex Hicks is still on the coaching staff with no limitations, something that Robert Carey, the Mayich family’s lawyer, believes is not enough.

“Putting Powers on leave while his best friend of the last decade stays in charge of the locker room doesn’t solve the problem,” Carey said in an email. “If ASU won’t remove him…then the interim head coach it has promised should have the authority to remove anyone who poses a risk of retaliation against these players.”

With a number of questions still unanswered, many people have joined the Mayich family in requesting a new investigation completely unaffiliated with the university.

One of those people is Arizona senator Mark Kelly, who spoke about the situation Wednesday.

“What happened to Matthew Mayich is devastating,” Kelly said. “There must be a full, independent investigation so that no athlete ever faces this again.” 

With the Sun Devils’ season opener around the corner, ASU is running out of time to clean up its mess without the situation having major repercussions on both this season and the future of the program.