A few observations after Waterville turned aside Brewer 3-2 on Saturday:

• The Purple Panthers established themselves as the team to beat in Eastern A. Don't be fooled by the close score: The Panthers dominated Saturday.

• Waterville defenseman Shawn Lee was a force at both ends of the ice. The senior set up Josh Gaudette on a nice rush through the heart of the offensive zone, and he shut down Brewer standout Dylan Fitzpatrick all morning.

Fitzpatrick is a leading candidate for the annual Travis Roy Award, given to the state's top senior. He's already eclipsed the 100-goal mark for his career and finished with 62 points last season. Fitzpatrick already has 20 points in eight games for the Witches (6-1-1) this season -- but none Saturday against a Waterville team that used Lee and a strong backcheck to keep him contained.

• Not sure if it was the hour-plus bus ride -- Brewer coaches and players said it wasn't -- but the Witches came out flat and uninspired. They were sloppy in their own end and played as if they were skating through mud. By the time they got going it was simply too late.

• After playing the last four games on the road, Brewer returns home for a tough four-game stretch with games against Lawrence, Lewiston, Scarborough and St. Dominic.