Hopkinton’s Sean Farrell, who joined the Montreal Canadiens out of Harvard University in March, playing six games with the National Hockey League team and scoring one goal, started the 2023-24 season in the minors.

The 22-year-old has been playing for the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket, who are based in a suburb north of Montreal. Through 22 games, he had six goals and 10 assists with four penalty minutes.

In a preseason story in the Montreal Gazette, Farrell said he was looking forward to playing a schedule that has more than twice the number of games in college.

“I’m excited for it,” he told the Gazette’s Herb Zurkowsky. “There’s nothing better than playing in games. The more reps you get in games, the more touches you get in those scenarios, the better you’ll get. It’s definitely going to be different. I’ll have to make sure I’m taking care of my body.

“For me my hockey sense and IQ have always been my strengths. Now I have to find a way to use it to my advantage a bit better. Try to speed up my play with the puck. Working here on making better touches and plays when I have the puck is something I have to do in order to play up there. Playing against men is the big step.”

Rocket coach Jean-Francois House credited Farrell for having “some compete in him” and “great vision.”

“I like his hockey sense,” House told the Gazette. “You can tell by the way he positions himself; the way he passes. He thinks the game ahead, that’s his best asset. Going forward, if he uses that, he’s got a chance.”

Walsh stars at Union

Hopkinton’s Riley Walsh got off to a strong start in her sophomore year on the women’s ice hockey team at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

Heading into the new year. Walsh had recorded 18 points in her first 20 games, via nine goals and nine assists.

Most notably, on Oct. 6, Walsh recorded a natural hat trick (three consecutive goals) — including the game-winner at 3:49 of overtime — to lead her team to a 3-2 comeback win over Holy Cross.

Walsh, who prepped at Vermont Academy, had 15 goals and seven assists in 31 games as a freshman.