Thompson Takes Time Out To Appreciate Where His BCHL Career Has Taken Him:

This was in last weeks BCHL Newsletter:

Thompson takes time out to appreciate where his BCHL career has taken him

The three days since the RBC Cup final have been a time of reflection for Vernon Vipers veteran and Yale-bound defenceman Adam Thompson and while he learned how to win in his time, he has also handled losing with equal ease.

Originally from Calgary, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound blueliner won two RBC Cups with Vernon and came within a whisker of a third as the Vipers were defeated 2-0 by the Pembroke Lumber Kings on Sunday.

It's been a remarkable BCHL career for Thompson, who finished tied for fourth in scoring at the RBC Cup with five assists. As he looks back, he says his time in Vernon has taken him beyond where he ever thought it would.

"My first year here, I wasn't expecting anything," said Thompson. "The first time we won, it was surreal almost; I almost couldn't comprehend how much we did. One of the best moments was seeing (then Vipers captain) Chris Crowell raise the Cup after all he had done."

Thompson would have liked to have done the same this year and lifted a third RBC Cup in a row. It would have been a record he'd have shared with Bryce Kakoske and Steven Weinstein, the other two players who were in the hunt for their third national title. It was not to be, but Thompson isn't lingering on the pain of defeat.

"It was a really good run and... there's the bitterness of coming up just short but I realized it was a great year," he says. "I don't think anybody thought we'd make it that far; in the Salmon Arm series, people were ready to write us off but in the end we believed in ourselves."

Giving credit where credit is due is also part of Thompson's mindset in looking back at Sunday's loss.

"It's hard but you can't take anything away from Pembroke. I think we were 23-12 in goals for and against; the numbers show we were the best team there but that's the beauty of the tournament format. It comes down to one game and they had a good system and played us well."

Thompson says being shut out in the only nationally televised game of the year is hard to swallow but the loss makes him appreciate his first two titles all the more. Being an older player and leader on this year's team, Thompson says his role changed but it was one he embraced after having been shown the way by his coaches and the players that came before him.

"I was a leader this year and I was happy to undertake it; it's been three years of lots of great teammates, the best coaches I've ever had and owner Duncan Wray is one of the classiest people I know. I've learned a lot and it's been awesome."