Arizona State to investigate after hockey player hospitalized

Arizona State University announced it was investigating an outdoor workout in which a member of the hockey team collapsed and remains hospitalized.

Matthew Mayich, 21, suffered what was described as a possible cardiac event and was in a coma, according to a person close to the family.

ASU was reviewing everything surrounding the workout at the school track, Chris Fiscus, vice president of media relations, told The Arizona Republic.

The exercise occurred the morning of Aug. 20, the first day of classes for the fall semester.

"A student-athlete who collapsed during an outdoor exercise Thursday morning remains hospitalized. The student-athlete, a member of the ASU hockey team, is not being named by the university because of privacy interests. The university is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the workout," according to an Aug. 25 statement from ASU.

The Republic has asked the university to provide details about the workout and about ASU's policies for guest coaches and instructors.

The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce shared a virtual prayer service Aug. 25 which brought together supporters in Mayich's home province of Ontario and elsewhere.

Deacon Kevin Barron of the Catholic Community of Buffalo North led the rosary.

"It's been very faith-affirming process. Keep praying for Matthew," he said during the service.

Barron said one of Mayich's cousins reached out to him after learning the hockey player had experienced a cardiac event and was still in a coma.Barron said Mayich's family is grieving and asked for privacy and for the public's prayers.

Tempe Fire Medical Rescue crews responded at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 20 to ASU's Joe Selleh Track near Rural Road and Rio Salado Parkway for calls of a heat-related illness, spokesperson Pat Shannahan said. A person was treated and hospitalized, Shannahan said.

ASU athletic director Graham Rossini declined comment. Hockey coach Greg Powers and a team trainer did not respond to requests for comment.

Mayich, a sophomore defenseman from Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, near Hamilton, is in his first year in the program after transferring from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. He was a 2023 National Hockey League sixth-round draft pick (No. 170 overall) of the St. Louis Blues.

The Phoenix area has been experiencing extreme heat for days. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport recorded a temperature of 87 degrees at 7:51 a.m. and 89 degrees around 8:51 a.m. on Aug. 20, according to Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather archives, part of Iowa State University.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State to investigate after hockey player hospitalized