The Moose Jaw Generals had to wait almost a month to play their first home game of the regular season and it didn't go how they would have hoped.

The Generals took too many penalties and couldn't convert enough on their power play chances in a 4-2 loss to the Swift Current Legionnaires at Mosaic Place on Thursday.

"I don't usually criticize much, but I was disappointed in the work ethic," said Generals coach Kevin Moore after Thursday's loss. "We play our first five games on the road and established a good work ethic in Notre Dame and against Tisdale, but for whatever reason at home, I don't know what the change was."

Cody Davis and Casey McDonald scored for the Generals in the loss, but they trailed 2-0 after one and 4-1 after two as the Legionnaires put together a strong road effort.

"We worked hard in the third to come back, but in the first 40, we were slow and sluggish and got into penalty trouble so that killed us," said McDonald, who finished with a goal and two points in the loss.

"We need to stay out of the box, we got caught up in too many penalties and our power play just wasn't clicking tonight, we weren't generating enough shots off of it."

Swift Current took control of the game late in the first period with goals from Riley Dekowny and Reed Jacobson.

Penalties really hurt the Generals in the second period where Joe Arntsen and Logan Linklater scored power-play goals for the Legionnaires as they extended their lead to 4-1 after 40 minutes.

Davis gave the Generals a brief spark of life in the second period, but they weren't able to build off of it.

The Generals took three straight penalties to start the third period, but they were able to kill those off.

Moose Jaw had their chance to come back in the game when they went on an extended five-on-three power play after Legionnaires goalie Ethan Hein, who played for the Generals last season, took a five-minute major and a game misconduct, as well as a slashing penalty after he took out the legs of Evan Sare in a race for the puck.

McDonald's goal came during the five-on-three, but that was the only goal the Generals could muster during their over seven minutes of power play time. Goalie Jacob Herman came off the bench and stopped six of seven shots to preserve the win for the Legionnaires.

The Generals gave the Legionnaires 11 power play opportunities and went 1-for-8 with the man advantage themselves.

"It was tough with the penalties and the lack of power play goals," said Moore on the game. 

"We just need to come out and compete because this is a tough league and the kids know that they have to show up to work every night and if not, you're going to be on the losing end like tonight, so hopefully they learned a lesson from it."

The Generals will be back on home ice on Sunday when they host the Notre Dame Argos at Mosaic Place. Puck drops at 1 p.m.