This is what happened to my boots at about 14 months.
This the repair. It cost $45 and was done by a shoe repair place that also works on skates for the local NHL team. It is reinforced on the inside and outside of the skate.
My problem - I am between a regular and a wide in Reidells. So the fitter put me in a wide. As I broke in the skates, they got a bit too wide for me. Those holes were caused by having to constantly retie my skates and pulling them as tight as I could. They never felt tight enough. Consider that you maybe don't have the right width for your boots - too big...especially if your heel is slipping around.
I opted to get new boots, because all of the first 4 holes were very stretched and needed repair. At $45 X 3 sides, I'd rather just put the $135 into new boots. I ended up getting Jacksons and they were a much better fit than Reidells for me. I've had my new boots for about 8 months now.