The Yukon’s cross-country ski team arrived at the 2015 Canada Winter Games and instantly added three medals to the territory’s medal count yesterday.

Knute Johnsgaard and Annah Hanthorn both earned gold medals in the classic ski events, while Kendra Murray claimed a bronze for good measure.

The interval start races took place at the Otway Nordic Centre on hard-packed trails in temperatures of 5 C. An intense route saw skiers traverse several twisty corners and plenty of quick downhills.

Johnsgaard, 22, blew away the field, finishing in 25:48.19, nearly 30 seconds ahead of runner-up Scott Hill of Ontario.

Quebec’s Raphael Couturier claimed bronze.

Johnsgaard’s medal was the first gold for the Yukon at the current Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C.

“I’m super excited about it,” Johnsgaard told the Star from Prince George yesterday. “I was really hoping to bring home some medals. It’s really special. I think we’re all super proud to come from a small town with so many skiers.

“I’m proud to be a Yukoner today.”

Johnsgaard – competing in his second Canada Winter Games – said the individual start race made it difficult to know where he stood, but the Yukon coaches on the sidelines did their best to keep him abreast of his split times throughout the two-lap race.

“That really fuelled me throughout the race,” he admitted.

Meanwhile, Hanthorn’s gold medal in the 7.5-km classic race came by the slimmest of margins.

The 19-year-old beat out Quebec skier Katherine Stewart-Jones, also 19, by 0.68 seconds, finishing in 22:22.17.

Stewart-Jones led by just over three seconds at the halfway point but a spill on the final downhill allowed Hanthorn to overcome her late in the race.

Kendra Murray, 21, earned bronze, crossing the finish line in 22:47.64.

Hanthorn said she knew she was gaining on Stewart-Jones, thanks to splits shouted her way by coaches.

“I was three seconds behind, then two seconds behind. ... I was never told that I was leading,” Hanthorn said. “I hoped to race a really good race and the medal is a great surprise.

“I wanted to ski relaxed and efficiently,” she said of her race strategy.

“There was a lot of hills and I didn’t want to cook myself on the first lap.”

Hanthorn pushed herself to ski faster on the second lap – then finished with a final “lunge” down the homestretch.

While the gold medal went to the Yukon, the Northwest Territories-born Hanthorn said at least sentimentally, the win was also for her hometown of Fort McPherson.

The victory also came in front of her mom, Lynn Hanthorn, who is serving as a coach for N.W.T.

“She hadn’t seen me race in a long time,” Hanthorn said. “So that was very special.”

Like Johnsgaard, Murray is also competing in her second Canada Winter Games and said it was very special to share the podium with a teammate.

“Out of all the races, this was the one I was looking forward to,” she said of the 7.5-km classic. “It’s an open category U23 so you get to compete against everyone. It’s nice to see where you stand.”

She added that the medal win feels “more special” than nationals and other competitions as it is an event that only happens every four years.

Murray said the success of the Yukon ski program continues to take the nation by surprise.

“People are like: ‘Wow. The Yukon is actually good,’” she explained.

“People don’t expect much from the territories. But it’s nice to show up and say: ‘Yeah, we can ski.’”

Head coach Alain Masson said the day would be one to remember for the Yukon ski team, as each of the squad’s female skiers placed in the top-15 and the men all finished in the top half.

He also thanked the members of the squad who are not attending the event for working hard to contribute to the success of the team.

“Know that all of you played a role in making our team a competitive one by pushing each other in training and in the races,” Masson said in a statement on the team’s blog.

The Yukon skiers were back at it today, competing in sprints.

As of press time today, the Yukon remained tied with Manitoba for seventh in the overall medal standings, ahead of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Prince Edward Island.

The six medals are one better than the Yukon’s 2011 result in Halifax, where five medals were won.

Seventeen-year-old biathlete Nadia Moser won each of the Yukon’s previous three medals last week.

– – –

In men’s hockey action, the Yukon dropped to 0-2 at the Canada Winter Games following a lopsided 11-2 loss to Newfoundland yesterday.

The East Coast team scored three first-period goals and added three more in the second before the Yukon finally struck.

Gavin Lawrie scored the territory’s first goal of the tournament on a powerplay late in the second to end the Yukon’s scoring drought at 96:31.

Jonas Leas would add a third-period tally, assisted by Matthew Braga, but it would be for naught as Newfoundland continued to pepper pucks past goalie Ethan Vanderkley.

Final shots were 51 to 23 in favour of Newfoundland.

The Yukon opened play on Sunday, losing 13-0 to P.E.I.

Yukon medal winners (as of press time Tuesday)

GOLD

Knute Johnsgaard (10-km XC ski)

Annah Hanthorn (7.5-km XC ski)

SILVER

Nadia Moser (12.5-km biathlon)

BRONZE

Nadia Moser (7.5-km biathlon)

Nadia Moser (10-km biathlon)

Kendra Murray (7.5-km XC ski)