Forbes graduated from Melrose High School in 1945 and joined the Navy for the tail end of World War II.
In 1964 Duke Nelson stepped down as the coach of the ice hockey team and allowed Forbes to take over.
As the Panthers began to recover in the mid-80s, Forbes led the program through a second transition as virtually all of the Division II level was dropped down to D-III.
He also help shepherd the team through a strange season when ECAC 2 formally split into two regional conferences (East and West).
He was inducted into the Melrose High Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, the same year that he was able to see his successor, Bill Beaney, lead the Panthers to their first National Championship.