Maybe Colorado College needed a rude reminder of how life on the road can be – particularly in the WCHA, with a target on your back.

No. 2-ranked CC recovered from a shaky start, roared back from a pair of three-goal deficits to seize the lead early in the third period, but watched the University of Nebraska Omaha rally for a 7-5 triumph at cavernous CenturyLink Center in the opener of their two-game series.

For the Tigers, it was the first loss of the season after four consecutive victories in which they gave up a combined total of seven tallies.

But on this night, the program's first-ever appearance in the Cornhusker State, they wasted a great opportunity to further validate their lofty spot in the national polls.

Red lighters just 2:01 apart late in the second period by Nick Dineen, Tim Hall and Alexander Krushelnyski wiped out a 4-1 deficit in the wink of an eye. Then, when David Civitarese skated out of the corner to muscle the puck past UNO netminder John Faulkner at the 7:48 mark of the third, it looked as though CC would remain among the ranks of the undefeated.

The host Mavericks had other ideas.

Nebraska Omaha, which struck three times in the opening 7:39 of the contest, turned the tables again in a span of 24 seconds midway through the final frame to ruin the comeback bid. Freshman center Jayson Megna redirected a pass by left winger Brent Gwidt past Colorado College's Joe Howe for his second goal of the game at 10:01, tying things up, and sophomore Ryan Walters tipped home Michael Young's shot from the high slot at 10:25 to put UNO ahead to stay.

The assist was Young's third point of the game. Sophomore right wing Matt White, who helped set up Megna on a Mavs power play and scored a shorthanded goal of his own in the first period, sealed the victory with an empty netter with 35 seconds left.

Junior left wing Terry Broadhurst had a hand in all three early UNO goals, scoring the first one just 37 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Dineen, an Omaha native, got CC back into contention with power-play markers at 13:46 of the first period and 16:29 of the second. Sophomore left wing Jaden Schwartz assisted on both. Krushelnyski and freshman winger Charlie Taft picked up assists on the go-ahead goal by Civitarese. The point was the first of Taft's collegiate career.

Howe finished with 28 saves as the Tigers were out-shot by a 35-30 margin.