Six former CCHA players are still pursuing the dream of claiming the Stanley Cup this season with Detroit's Brett Lebda and Pittsburgh's Adam Hall competing for teams that enjoy commanding leads in the respective conference finals.

Lebda, a former Notre Dame defensemen, and the Red Wings lead former Michigan goalie Marty Turco and the Dallas Stars three games to one in the Western Conference Finals. The Wings will be trying to advance to the championship round with a win on Saturday afternoon at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena.

Philadelphia Flyers Mike Knuble, a former Michigan Wolverine, Jim Dowd, a previous Lake Superior Laker, and R.J. Umberger, an Ohio State alum, staved off elimination last night with a 4-2 win over Pittsburgh in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Flyers still trail the Penguins, three games to one, with Game 5 set for Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. Only two teams, the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders, have successfully rallied to win a Stanley Cup playoff series after trailing three games to none.

Turco, who made 33 saves in a first-star performance on Wednesday to extend the Stars season is now 9-7-0 in 16 playoff games. The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native is 8-7-0 in 15 playoff games, holds a .921 save percentage and 2.03 goals-against average. Lebda, an Irish defenseman from 2000-04, has one assist and a +1 rating in eleven postseason outings for Detroit.

An Ohio State player from 2000-03, Umberger is tied for seventh in playoff scoring with 10 goals and 15 points after recording a 13-37-50 chart in 74 regular-season games. He established a new Flyers record for goals in a five-game playoff series by scoring eight times against Montreal in the second round. He came close to matching Tim Kerr's franchise record of 10 goals in a seven-game series set in 1989 against Pittsburgh. Knuble has fired three goals and added four assists in eleven postseason games played, while the 39-year old Dowd, who is skating with his 10th NHL team, has a goal and two assists in 16 games while seeing extensive work in a penalty-killing role with the Flyers.

Former Michigan State captain Adam Hall, who played for the Spartans from 1998-2002, has contributed one goal for the Penguins in 10 playoff games.