The sport of sledge hockey requires a great deal of both physical and mental toughness. A team from Minnesota is in Winnipeg this weekend for a series of exhibition games against the Manitoba Falcons.

For one American player, the trip is also an opportunity to reconnect with a mentor who helped her through a life-changing illness.

Hanna Hughes last saw Janis Ollson three years ago at the Mayo Clinic in United States. Following a diagnosis for bone cancer, doctors had just amputated Hanna's right leg and part of her hip and pelvis.

"Hanna was so young. It, I'm sure, flipped her world completely upside down and she needed to start from square one again," said Ollson.

Janis also battled bone cancer and underwent a similar procedure in 2007. She happened to be at the clinic for some follow up treatment when Hanna was there, and doctors introduced the two.

"It's really, I guess, comforting to talk to somebody that knows everything that you're about to go through to tell you what to expect," said Hughes.

Hanna, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, came to Manitoba with her sledge hockey team for a series of exhibition games. Janis, who lives in Balmoral, couldn't pass up the opportunity to see her old friend and get an introduction to the sport.

"It's a lot more aggressive than I thought it was going to be, a lot more fast-paced," said Ollson.

A high-level soccer player before her diagnosis, Hanna still has that competitive edge and says one day she'd like to play sledge hockey for Team U.S.A.

“Once you get diagnosed with something and then have the surgery I did, you don't think you'll ever play a sport again, but I got introduced to sled hockey and I've loved it ever since,” said Hughes.

Hanna plans to try out for Team U.S.A. this summer. She says if she doesn't make the cut, she'll just keep practicing until she does.

"She's a very driven young lady and very positive,” said Ollson. “Sets goals for herself and then works towards them, so I'm very happy to hear that."

The Manitoba Falcons and the Minnesota Wild sledge hockey teams will meet up again at the MTS Iceplex Sunday at 11:15 a.m. in the final game of their weekend series.

- With a report by Ben Miljure