Boomtown Rats: Year in Review

Rich in scoring and high on talent, the Boomtown Rats entered the inaugural season of the Summer Hockey League with their sights set on a championship.

Owner Mike Meiler made a big splash right away in the draft, spending a league record 56 points on first-overall pick Timmy Benner. He then filled the rest of his team from the largely unknown Henry Street region of Cheektowaga, picking up Nick Torgalski, Brandon Reynolds and Garrett Bulinski. Meiler also spent big on his substitution players, picking up high-scoring Ryan Schamber.

Good fortune seemed to follow. The Rats jumped on the opportunity to pick up Andy Bucella, highly-touted after a strong preseason but unhappy with the atmosphere at the Goon Squad. Boomtown and the Squad settled on the first trade in league history, swapping Reynolds and Bucella before the first week of the regular season.

Unfortunately, the Rats didn’t live up to their high expectations. After blowing out the Sunnyvale Sloops in the first ever SHL game, Boomtown went 0-4-1 in its final contests of Week One as the offense failed to make up for what was lacking on the back end.

Eager to improve, Boomtown made another move, prying solid defender, timely goaltender and all-around nice guy Drew Pijacki from the Sloops for the rights to free agent CJ Massett. The move sparked a feud between the teams, heating a new rivalry.

A last move rounded out the roster, with free agent Nick Dirschberger providing much-needed depth as no-shows and sluggish mornings from key players — rumored to be tied to late nights stumbling around suburban beer tents — wore down the Rats core.

Great teams finish strong, and that’s just what the Boomtown did. The Rats picked up a league-best 38 points after the Pijacki trade, climbing above the Sloops in the standings. They finished second overall and boasted a league-leading 171 goals.

Entering the playoffs, Boomtown was buzzing with confidence. The one-day tournament was expected to bring out the best of its talented roster and keep its stars away from the bars, or at least home by curfew.

Nothing worth having comes easy, which the Rats learned in a first-round series against the scrappy Sloops. Boomtown seemingly underestimated its opponent and struggled to find the switch it had been searching for all season.

The Sloops advanced with a crushing Game Five victory (The first round of the SHL Playoffs were a best of five). Boomtown became the first team eliminated in SHL history.

Scoring will only get you so far in The Cage at Losson Park. The Boomtown Rats will live on as a cautionary tale for the first-time owner of the newly-named BHL.