The Sioux Lookout Bombers and the Dryden GM Ice Dogs emerge from the first weekend of the SIJHL atop the standings.

Owen Riffel’s third goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining in regulation time gave the Bombers a 5-4 win over the visiting Thunder Bay North Stars Saturday night.

Alex Lucas and Blake Burke added the Bombers’ other markers.

EJ Paddington, Edison Weeks, Easton Mikus and Maxwell Buffone scored for the Stars.

In Dryden, Ewan Soutar stopped all 21 shots faced to record the season’s first shutout as the Dryden GM Ice Dogs blanked the Fort Frances Lakers 4-0.

Sebastiano Biagi, with his third of the season, Harrison James, Max Roby and Elias Eisenbarth provided the Ice Dogs scoring.

The defending champion Kam River Fighting Walleye earned their first win of the season with a 4-3 over the Red Lake Miners in Red Lake.

Creegan Tompkins’ goal, eight minutes into the third period, stood as the winner.

Brydon Bell, Jeremy Dunmore and Edwin Liang also scored for the Walleye.

Luke DeCorby, Kyle Schechtel and Noah Tenney replied for Red Lake.

The Wisconsin Wilderness exploded for three straight goals in the third period as the Wilderness defeated the expansion Kenora Islanders 7-4 to earn a weekend split in Kenora.

Zach Johnson scored twice for Wisconsin, including the game-winner.

Ryan Kayser, Maddox Achtor, Koen Burkholder, Simon Davidson and Dillon Phillips added the others.

Jeremiah Jacques had a pair of goals for the Islanders, with singles coming off the sticks of Aaron Bertschinger and Keelian Levasseur.

Play will resume next Friday with the Kenora Islanders hosting the Thunder Bay North Stars, Lakers hosting the Walleye, Red Lake entertaining Dryden, and the Bombers travelling to Spooner, Wisconsin, to play the Lumberjacks.