BRYN ATHYN, Pa. – The Bryn Athyn College men's ice hockey team and head coach Andrew Burke have announced the Lions' leadership group for the 2017-18 season Wednesday. Anthony Notorfrancesco has been tabbed as the team's first captain in the NCAA era, while Paul Napierkowski, Alex Doyle, and Nikita Smirnov were selected as assistant captains.
Notorfrancesco is going into his fourth season as a forward with the Lions. In 80 games in a Bryn Athyn uniform, Notorfrancesco has racked up 75 goals and 97 assists for 172 total points. He is coming off of a career year as a junior when he posted a team- and career-high 35 goals in 24 games and was second on the team with 75 points.
Before coming to Bryn Athyn, Notorfrancesco recorded 23 goals and 31 assists during the 2013-14 season with the Philadelphia Little Flyers of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.
As he heads into his senior season, Napierkowski has 9 goals and 59 points in his first three seasons with Bryn Athyn. Last season, Napierkowski dished out 15 assists. He set career highs in goals (7) and points (29) as a freshman. Napierkowski was teammates with Notorfrancesco on the Philadelphia Little Flyers in 2013-14.
Smirnov is in his first season with the Lions after transferring from Aurora University in Illinois. He appeared in 22 games for the Spartans last season, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists. In 2015-16, Smirnov served as the captain of the Charlotte Rush of the U.S. Premier Hockey League Elite, leading the team with 26 assists and 45 points.
Doyle, a freshman, spent the last two seasons in the Eastern Hockey League playing for the Connecticut Nighthawks in 2015-16 and the Philadelphia Revolution in 2016-17. He had 4 goals and 10 assists in 33 games with the Nighthawks and 3 goals and 24 assists in 30 contests with the Revolution.
Bryn Athyn (0-2-0) travels to Post University to take on the Division II Eagles on Nov. 4-5 at the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton, Conn.