‘They are definitely our backbone’: St. Charles hockey goalies Fansler, Bell may be best in state
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
St. Charles goaltenders Dylan Bell (left), a junior, and senior Dylan Fansler both have 11 wins in their 15 games played this season for the Cardinals. File photo
Being a goaltender can be a lonely position. Not on the St. Charles hockey team.
The Cardinals, ranked fourth in the state according to MyHockeyRankings.com, feature a duo that coach Danny Greiner believes are, “the two best goalies in the city, if not the state,” in senior Dylan Fansler and junior Dylan Bell.
“They are definitely our backbone,” Greiner said. “They definitely allow us to be more aggressive defensively and offensively. We know if we make mistakes or give up a chance, we’ve got great goaltenders back there that can help bail us out.”
Fansler and Bell helped the Cardinals wrap up the Capital Hockey Conference’s Red Division just after the new year and now they have their sights set on some more hardware.
St. Charles heads into this weekend’s Columbus Blue Jackets Cup, looking to win a tournament it’s only won once, back in 2014.
Both goalies have played in 15 games this season with Bell going 11-1-2 and Fansler 11-3. Bell leads with a .952 save percentage to Fansler’s .927, while Fansler has a team-high 382 saves and Bell 292.
So, how will Greiner decide who plays during this weekend’s league and the upcoming regional tournaments?
“That’s a great question – I wish I knew the answer,” he said. “I want to make sure they’re both getting the playing time they deserve. I mean, either way we go, I’m very confident. But yeah, we’ll definitely have to figure it out.”
St. Charles is 24-5-1 overall and won the CHC-Red at 15-1, good for 30 points. The Cardinals finished ahead of second-place Upper Arlington, which finished 10-5-0-1 with 21 points.
The Cardinals’ Dylan Fansler, a senior, is headed to Robert Morris for the start of his collegiate career. The Colonials play in Atlantic Hockey America. File photo
The Cardinals and the Golden Bears, who share facilities at the OhioHealth Ice Haus, went five to overtimes in last year’s regional semifinals before the UA ultimately won 2-1 on their way to their first state championship.
So, the Cardinals have had plenty of motivation this season.
“I think most of our motivation is, the fact that they won the state championship,” said Fansler, who plans to play hockey at Robert Morris, a Division I program in Atlantic Hockey America.
“We still talk about that every day, how the team next door won the state championship. That’s part of our motivation and part of the reason we went and beat him twice this year.”
St. Charles beat the Golden Bears 3-2 in the opener Nov. 14 and by the same score Jan. 4.
Fansler and Bell share the belief that iron sharpens iron. Both are talented enough to play full time for just about any team.
“A lot of teams in the city have one goalie who they play every game, and that’s awesome,” Fansler said. “What we’re doing is pretty successful, so I don’t have a problem with it. I enjoy it. I enjoy having another goalie that I can practice with and push me to get better.
“He definitely just pushes me to get a lot better to work as hard as I possibly can every practice, because there’s always someone competing with me.”
Fansler and Bell, who also compete together with the Columbus Chill Hockey Club, didn’t know each other until three years ago when Bell joined the program as a freshman. The two became fast friends off the ice.
“We do everything together,” Bell said. “We go to (the outdoor rink) together (and) play video games together. He’s a phenomenal leader. It’s when you have someone like that around you, you just kind of (attach) to them and envy them or want to be like them. I think his work ethic is what made me want to get close to him and become great friends with him.”
St. Charles captain Tommy Scharfenberger, a senior, was an all-state player last season for the Cardinals. File photo
It doesn’t hurt that the Cardinals’ defense features Tommy Scharfenberger, a senior who was second-team all-state last year. Scharfenberger (13 goals, 19 assists) is tied with junior forward Gabriel Sotak (9 goals, 23 assists) with 32 points behind leader William Howard (17 goals, 29 assists, 46 points), a junior forward.
“I think most of it comes from the team that’s ahead of us,” Bell said. “Our defense is second to none, obviously led by Tommy Scharfenberger and (junior) Harry Hadden. (They) just play great – allowing minimal shots each game. It makes it easier for us to do our jobs.”
Bell and Fansler play a similar style, but there are things that make them different.
“He’s super athletic, very flexible and moves super quick,” Fansler said. “I would say I make more fundamental saves and control rebounds better. But he’s super athletic and makes some crazy saves.”
Just because the Cardinals ran through their league schedule in the regular season doesn’t mean they’ll coast through the tournament, Greiner said.
“There’s five or six teams, depending on the way things go, that could win the CBJ Cup or the region,” Greiner said. “I think the talent in the city is so high that if you don’t come playing your best every night, really anybody can win.”
The top-seeded Cardinals face eighth-seeded Cincinnati Moeller in the first round of the CBJ Cup on Feb. 5 at Chiller.
The winner plays fourth-seeded Olentangy Orange or fifth-seeded Dublin Jerome Feb. 7 at Chiller North with the title game scheduled for Feb. 8 at the OhioHealth Ice Haus.
The draw for the regional tournament is Feb. 12 and play begins the following week. St. Charles attempts to make its third state tournament, which is March 14 and 15 at Nationwide Arena.
Junior Willam Howard leads St. Charles this season with 17 goals and 29 assists, helping the Cardinals capture a CHC Red Division title. File photo