Unless you are center Bill Kelleher of the Dartmouth men's hockey team.

"I used to think that nothing could be more exciting than a tie game and a penalty shot," said Kelleher, a native of North Reading, Mass. "But now I would only say that if they changed the rules and gave me a two-on-none advantage."

The reason for his answer: Kelleher prides himself in being a playmaker ¯ always looking to make the spectacular pass to set up one of his teammates. And in his career at Dartmouth, Kelleher has kept many Big Green goal scorers very happy by doing just that.

"Billy is a rare type of player in the sense that he sees the ice extremely well," head coach Roger Demment said. "He has the ability to make passes that after they are made, you say to yourself, `How did he ever see that other guy?'"

Kelleher, a fifth-year senior, has been Dartmouth's leading scorer during the past four years. With his six points this season, Kelleher now has 24 goals and 63 assists for his career ¯ 13 points away from becoming the 27th player in school history to reach the 100-point plateau. In addition, Kelleher is currently 15th on Dartmouth's all-time assist list.

"That's always been my style of play ¯ looking to set someone up, looking to make that pretty pass," Kelleher said. "I'm sure Coach would like to see me shoot more, but that's just been the way I've always played."

And it showed the moment he arrived in Hanover. In his first collegiate season, Kelleher handed out 26 assists, the second highest total for a freshman in Dartmouth history. He also finished second on the team with 30 points en route to earning a spot on the ECAC All-Rookie team.

But fortune wasn't as generous as Kelleher with the puck, as he missed the rest of his true sophomore season after breaking his arm four games into 1993-94.

"That was very frustrating and definitely the lowest point in my career," said Kelleher, who missed a final chance to play alongside Tony DelCarmine '94 and former Montreal Canadien Scott Fraser '94. "To have a line that really clicked my first year, I was really looking forward to an explosive season. And even after I returned, it took a long time to get my strength back to where it was before the injury."

But three years later, Kelleher has his strength back and is playing on the same line as two of the league's top scorers ¯ juniors David Whitworth and Jon Sturgis. The "Blue Line" leads Dartmouth in scoring by line with 15 points in just five games.

"BK understands and reads the game so well that it makes it very easy to play with him," said Whitworth, the Big Green's leading scorer in 1995. "From the first time we played on a line together, there has always been that chemistry."

Even off the ice, Kelleher ¯ who is highly interested in the stock market ¯ continues to assist his teammates.

"I've had internships the past two summers at the stock exchange in Boston," Kelleher said. "And I set up Shane (Ness) and David (Whitworth) there last summer. Bob (Cancelli) also worked there, so we had a large Dartmouth contingent down there."

It seems only fitting that Kelleher is an assistant captain on the 1996-97 Dartmouth men's hockey team.

Oh, as for his former childhood dream? Kelleher had his only collegiate penalty shot late in the third period during a tie at Colgate in the last game of 1992-93. He didn't score.

There was no one to pass to. Damn rules.