Serious charge

An ex-Superior International Junior Hockey League player has been charged with being party to murder in an incident that left a University of Wisconsin-Stout student dead.

According to police, on Sept. 18 Regina’s Jared Britton, 23 and incoming freshman teammate Jedidiah R. McGlassen, 21, were involved in an altercation with UWS student Bradley L. Simon inside a Menomonie, Wis., bar.

Simon left the bar on his bicycle, and was confronted by the two hockey players and allegedly assaulted. According to USCHO.com, Simon’s bike then slammed into a concrete wall. Simon flew over the handlebars and smashed his head on the wall.

He died in an Eau Claire, Wis. hospital on Thursday.

MaGlasson, charged with felony murder, and Britton allegedly left the scene before police and emergency personnel arrived.

Britton spent two seasons with the Schreiber Diesels from 2005 to 2007 before joining the UWS team in 2007.

His then coach, Bobby Spadoni, on Friday said he was shocked to hear of Britton’s alleged involvement, which he only learned of Friday afternoon when contacted by Dougall Media.

Spadoni, who coached Britton for both his SIJHL seasons and recruited him from the midget ranks in his native Saskatchewan, said it was strange that Britton would even find himself in trouble with the law.

"He was one of the most level-headed kids we had. He played, he wasn’t into the party scene at all. He was kind of the settled-down, always had a girlfriend type of guy. He was always one of the kids on the other side coming in, when the other guys weren’t behaving. He was an assistant captain with me in (his) second year and he was one of the role models," Spadoni said.

The veteran coach said he’s followed Britton’s career south of the border, and even tried to convince him to return to Schreiber for a third season in 2007-08 when he found himself sitting in the UW-Stout stands as a regular healthy scratch.

"Out of all the kids I coached, he’d be the least guy I’d ever suspect to be tied up in something like this," Spadoni said.

Britton played 34 games for Wisconsin-Stout over three seasons, scoring three goals and adding two assists. He scored 26 goals and 58 points playing for the Schreiber Diesels in their championship 2006-07 season, his final year in Northern Ontario.

University chancellor Charles W. Sorensen, in a statement, said first and foremost the school’s prayers and hearts go out to Simon’s family.

"I was severely disappointed today to hear about the alleged behavior that led to the charges being brought against two UW-Stout students, one who has played for our hockey team for three years and one who was recruited to play for the team," he writes.

"I cannot comment on the specifics of the case. The Menomonie Police Department, assisted by our campus police department department, has done a remarkable job in investigating the incident. We have been kept informed of the major developments as they affected UW-Stout, and I have directed everyone on campus to give the investigation their full co-operation."

Both players were being held in Dunn County (Wis.) Jail awaiting a Friday afternoon bond hearing.